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Technology191 words1 min read

Fidium Fiber Internet Goes Down Across New England

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Listen to the story

Thousands of customers across Maine and other New England states lost internet access this week. The problem was caused by an outage affecting the company Fidium Fiber.

Fidium Fiber provides internet service using fiber-optic cables, which are known for fast and reliable connections. However, on this occasion, many users found they could not connect at all.

The outage was reported by Downdetector, a website that tracks problems with internet, phone, and other services. Downdetector said thousands of reports came in from affected users.

The outage was not limited to Maine. Customers in other parts of New England also reported losing service, showing that the problem was widespread.

Internet outages like this can cause major disruption for people who depend on a stable connection for work, school, or communication with others.

At this time, Fidium Fiber has not given a detailed explanation for what caused the outage. It is also unclear how long it took for services to be restored for all affected customers.

Downdetector reports are based on user complaints, so the real number of people affected could be higher than what was officially recorded on the site.

Vocabulary7 words

internet
a system that connects computers so people can share information
outage
a period when a service stops working
Fidium Fiber
a company that provides internet service to homes
fiber-optic
a type of cable that sends information very fast using light
Downdetector
a website that shows reports when online services have problems
New England
a region in the northeastern United States with several states
widespread
happening in many places at the same time

Quiz

1. What type of technology does Fidium Fiber use for internet service?
2. How did people find out about the outage, according to the story?
3. True or False: The outage only affected customers in Maine.

Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

Thousands of customers across Maine and other New England states lost _____ access this week.

The problem was caused by an _____ affecting the company Fidium Fiber.

Fidium Fiber provides internet service using _____ cables.

However, on this occasion, many users found they could not _____ at all.

The outage was reported by _____, a website that tracks problems with internet and other services.

The outage was not limited to Maine. Customers in other parts of _____ also reported losing service.

This showed that the problem was _____.

Internet outages like this can cause major _____ for people who depend on a stable connection.

At this time, Fidium Fiber has not given a detailed _____ for what caused the outage.

Downdetector reports are based on user _____.

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