02/03/2023
UPDATE as of 2023.02.06 10am - All network outages are resolved. If you are still having issues connecting to the Internet, please call us right away at (512) 257-1077. Thank you!
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UPDATE as of 2023.02.05 9am –
Virtually all utility outages have been resolved. Areas still effected by utility outages are in Manor, where power crews are still working on running a new 1800ft line to the tower property to get service restored. In the meantime, the tower site is on generator power a vast majority of the time. While you may have intermittent short-term downtime due to generators running out of gas and needing to refilled, or as we switch from gas to propane generators overnight, your service should be up and running most of the time.
In the Bertram and Liberty Hill areas, we are still working on replacing equipment damaged by falling ice. The first priority is Access Points which are completely non-working, but some are working, but no longer water-proof. We are attempting to get all damaged equipment replaced before the rains come later in the week, to avoid further outages. You may experience intermittent downtime today, which is most likely repair-related, and should be brief for the most part – not more than a few hours, but typically much shorter periods.
If you are in ANY area with service down completely, and not even intermittent, please give us a call right away so that we can do some troubleshooting to get you back up and running, or determine that a technician visit will be required to repair equipment at your site.
As of now, our phones are back open normally, and you can reach us at (512) 257-1077. We have regular, in-house staff answering from noon to 5pm, and our after hours team taking calls outside those hours 24/7. If we are not able to answer, please leave us a voicemail, and someone will return your call as soon as possible. If you would prefer to send us and email and get a call back, please email your account name, service address, and preferred callback number to [email protected], and we will call you.
If you continue to have any intermittent connection issues as of Tuesday, February 7th, please contact us right away so that we can determine whether you are still affected by storm-related damage in our network, or if more troubleshooting or an on-site repair is required.
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding as we work to get everyone back up and running!
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Outage and contact updates asof Friday, Feb. 3rd, 9am:
Due to the ice storms effecting the Central Texas area this week, we have towers down in the following areas:
Burnet, Briggs, Florence, Georgetown, Granger, Manor, Salado, Thrall, Walburg, and Weir.
Customers in those and adjacent areas are currently without service.
A vast majority of those outages are related to prolonged power outages which outlasted our battery banks at those sites. Since yesterday we have had technicians deployed in the field with generators, attempting to get sites back online. However, due to road conditions, the limited number of generators and technicians available compared to the number of sites down, and other conditions and emergencies, we may not be able to reach all affected sites before utility power is restored.
For the Burnet and Florence areas specifically, repairs will require a tower climb, which is not yet scheduled as we wait on safe climbing conditions. There is still currently, as of this morning, Friday February 3rd, ice on the towers, which is falling of during melting, causing extreme safety hazards. We must wait for the ice to melt fully, and all ice to be gone from the tower, before it is safe enough to climb.
Therefore, we ask for and appreciate your continued patience during this extraordinary weather event.
We are very sorry for the inconvenience, and sincerely thank you for your patience and understanding as we work diligently to get the network back up and running as quickly as possible. We understand that Internet access is vital to many folks' livelihoods, and we promise we are doing everything in our power to get you connected again.
If you need to reach us due to, for example, your on-site equipment/pole being physically down/bent/fallen over/otherwise visibly damaged, or to make a payment, cancel service, or some other need unrelated to our tower outages, please send us an email at [email protected], and we will call you back.
For payments, you may log into the web portal by visiting WesternBroadband.com and clicking "My Account" to log in. Your username is included in all Billing-related email correspondence, and you can request your current password using the "Forgot Password" option and entering the email address on file for your account. For further assistance, please don't hesitate to email our billing department at [email protected], and we will be happy to call you back.
