UPDATE: Verizon reported progress in restoring service after a massive outage earlier Monday. Get the latest developments here.
Federal authorities have opened an investigation after Verizon customers reported widespread outages across the U.S. Monday.
The Federal Communications Commission, the nationwide agency that regulates interstate and international communications, posted on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, "We're aware of a Verizon outage impacting customers in parts of the country. We are working to determine the cause and extent of these service disruptions."
Nationwide, Downdetector showed more than 105,000 Verizon outages as of 10:30 a.m. By 2 p.m., the number of outages had dropped to 48,115. In the Chicago area, more than 4,000 customers reported to be without service at the height of the outage - at roughly 10:30 a.m. By 2:30 p.m., the number of reports had dropped to around 1,200.
An outage map from Downdetector showed the "most reported" outage locations to be Chicago, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Omaha, Cincinnati, Denver, Seattle and Columbus.
Dozens of comments on the site from Verizon users said their phones were displaying "SOS" mode on-and-off, leaving some unable to send or respond to texts or make phone calls. Other comments on Verizon's social media pages also called out that Verizon phones were reported to be in SOS mode.
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The carrier responded to some comments, at times asking for more specific information from those who reported their phone in SOS.
"I know I would share your concern if my phone was in SOS as well," one of Verizon's replies said. "I am here to help take a look into this, and help find a solution. When did this issue first start happening? Can you share the nearest cross streets and city where this is happening? Please send a DM."
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