Phone service knocked out for Atlantic and surrounding communities

It’s been a frustrating day for people in Atlantic and surrounding communities in Cass County as their phone service went out early this morning. U-S West spokeswoman Lynn Gipple says the service died at a switching system known as the “central office”. It’s a large computer that controls phone calls.Gipple says the outage affects 55-hundred phone lines including 9-1-1 service.She says it’s making it tougher for people to get emergency service, as officials have asked residents to come to the police or fire department to report a problem.Gipple says they hope to have the phone service restored sometime this afternoon.