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Sun City phone service spotty
By RYAN MEEHAN, Times Staff Writer WIMAUMA -- Near a ditch, a clump of cable spitting out nearly 3,000 multicolored wires sits wet and dirty, a source of frustration for nearly 3,000 Sun City Center residents. Because of trouble with that cable, many in the retirement community southeast of Tampa can't use their phones. The problem: The telephone wires are encased in an underground pipe that is pressurized to keep them dry. But a leak Friday caused it to lose pressure. Groundwater seeped in, and the phone lines went "dead as a doornail," as one St. Andrews Estates resident put it. Repair crews from Verizon have been working around the clock since Friday to lay a new cable. The job is tedious: Workers must splice the 3,000 individual wires by hand. "A lot of people think phone service is just flipping a switch," says Kerry Lenning, construction manager for Verizon. "But it's not." Officials couldn't say how many of the 3,000 phone lines were affected, but on Monday, service throughout the Sun City Center area was hit or miss. Some didn't lose their connection at all. Others could call out but couldn't receive calls. Still others were flat out of luck. For their family members, not being able to get in touch could be scary. It was so scary for Carmen Andrews' relatives in California that they called the police when they couldn't reach her. "It's terrible when people don't know what's going on," Andrews said. Harry and Margarita Neely have been good Samaritans, making their cell phone available to neighbors on Augusta Drive. They say a hefty phone bill is imminent. "Not only has this been an inconvenience, it's been an expense," Harry Neely said. "Our cellular has been getting a workout." For some, it has been more than just an inconvenience. Joanne Benson said a neighbor became ill Saturday night and, alone and without phone service, had no way of getting help. Luckily, Benson said, a friend stopped by and was able to get her medical attention. "I'm so mad," Benson says. "Everybody's mad over it." Her phone was out Friday through Sunday. She coped by using a friend's cell phone to call her sister in California, who in turn e-mailed Benson's friends and family members to tell them the situation. Workers will continue to work at the site at the corner of U.S. 301 and Sun City Center Drive until the problem is fixed, hopefully by Wednesday. "Most people just can't comprehend the enormity of it," Verizon spokesman Bob Elek said.
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