Xfinity Internet Outages Hit Thousands in Albuquerque and Sacramento Amid Infrastructure Failures

Thousands of Xfinity customers were left without internet access on Tuesday, 15 July, after widespread outages hit key areas in the United States, particularly Southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Sacramento, California.

Although service has since been restored in Albuquerque, the disruption caused major disruptions for residents and businesses, highlighting ongoing concerns about the fragility of digital infrastructure.

What Caused the Outages?

In Albuquerque, the service interruption began when a crew from the New Mexico Gas Company (NMGC) accidentally damaged a Comcast fibre optic line while responding to a gas leak near Elm Street and Silver Avenue.

The incident affected an estimated 15,000 Xfinity customers, including residential and commercial subscribers in neighbourhoods like University and Nob Hill. According to a report by KOB 4, more than 4,000 homes experienced outages as technicians scrambled to repair the damage.

Comcast, which owns Xfinity, issued a statement confirming the disruption:

'Comcast is aware of an outage caused by damage to one of our fibre lines by a third-party utility, impacting some customer services in Southeast Albuquerque. Our local technicians are on-site working to restore services as quickly as possible. We know any time without service is frustrating and apologize for the inconvenience to our customers.'

NMGC later confirmed through KOB 4 that its team had completed gas line repairs early that morning and handed the location over to Comcast for fibre restoration.

In Sacramento, a separate outage occurred due to vandalism. According to CBS News Sacramento, a utility pole was set on fire and the fibre line was cut, leading to a major internet blackout in the region. Comcast identified the incident as an act of sabotage, which disrupted services for thousands of users in the area.

Customers Express Frustration

In Albuquerque, the outage led to mounting frustration among residents and business owners. Dr Sharmin Dharas, Chief Experience Officer at Hotel Zazz, told KOB 4: 'They promised that I would be back on at three... and nothing has been resolved.'

Another customer, Chas Alonen, noted: 'I haven't seen it gone out this long since I've lived here. It's been over 24 hours.'

Both cited issues with smart home devices and interruptions to remote work as key concerns.

Meanwhile, Sacramento businesses also suffered. Independent bookstores like Beers Books were significantly affected, particularly during Independent Bookstore Day, one of their busiest sales weekends.

With point-of-sale systems rendered useless, shops faced lost revenue and disappointed customers, according to CBS News.

How to Stay Updated During Outages

Comcast urges affected customers to use the Xfinity Status Center or the Xfinity App to view real-time outage updates, report issues, and check estimated restoration times.

To receive faster notifications, users are encouraged to sign up for text alerts by logging into their account and adding their mobile number.

Lessons on Infrastructure Vulnerability

While service has returned in Albuquerque, these back-to-back outages underscore the fragility of internet infrastructure, particularly how vulnerable fibre lines are to third-party construction and intentional damage.

Both incidents point to the need for better safeguards, inter-agency coordination, and more robust protective measures for critical communications infrastructure.

Comcast has thanked customers for their patience and reaffirmed its commitment to restoring service swiftly and improving network resilience.

For ongoing updates, customers can visit the official Xfinity Outage Center.