Memes sprang up all over social media making fun of Verizon’s ad line “can you hear me now,” as thousands of customers across the CSRA lost mobile, text and data capability.

However, those who rely on their mobile phones to conduct vital business were not laughing.

Verizon customers from Aiken to Grovetown reported they had lost service.

According to Down Detector, problems began in the early morning hours and spiked around 3 p.m. as the system seemed to collapse with users getting an ‘SOS” message.

The city of Augusta sent out a notice on social media that claimed even the “SOS” functions on the phone were disabled and could not link to either the “311” or “911” systems. The message urged citizens to report emergencies on a landline or seek out a neighbor using a different carrier.

Some calls could make it through to 911, but data, such as the caller’s address and phone number did not appear on the dispatcher’s screen, meaning they could not call back if the signal dropped suddenly.

The message also urged the following:  “Officials ask customers not to call 911 to test service.”

Users can connect to a Wi-Fi service to make calls and texts.

Service appears to have been restored as of 9 p.m. The company has not released an official statement on what caused the outage.

Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A former Augusta University women’s basketball and men’s soccer coach has died, according to reports.

Augustajags.com reports that 91-year-old Lowell Barnhart died on June 28.

From 1986 to 1999, Barnhart served as the head women’s basketball coach at Augusta College, according to augustajags.com.

He won the PBC Coach of the Year award in 1992 and 1995.

Barnhart also served as the head men’s golf coach at Augusta College for 10 years.

According to Barnhart’s obituary, Barnhart was inducted into the Kosciusko County Basketball Hall of Fame, Class of 2011.

His obituary says he was an avid golfer and a long-term member at Forest Hills Golf Course.

A memorial service was held on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in Storey Chapel at First Baptist Church of Augusta.

Barnhart’s obituary says memorial contributions may be made in memory of Coach Barnhart to Augusta University Athletic Department CFH 214, 1120 Fifteenth Street, Augusta, GA 30912.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Verizon is having problems with data, voice and text service in the CSRA.

The company posted a notice about the problem on its website Tuesday afternoon.

“Data, voice, and text are limited in Augusta, GA,” the company said. “There is a known issue in this area and we are working on a solution.”

Viewers told News 12 the problem wasn’t just in Augusta; they saw problems as far away as Aiken.

It further stated that most issues like these are resolved within 12 hours, and most 5G issues are resolved within 48 hours.

Verizon also offered a link to check network status and to learn how to use Wi-Fi calling.

Some people said they got an “SOS” notice on their phones.

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