Verizon internet outage: Fios down for millions of people

Millions of people on the East Coast experienced Verizon Fios internet outages in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The affected area stretches about 300 miles from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Richmond, Virginia, according to a map of user-reported issues on Downdetector.

A Verizon spokesperson told Newsweek in an email statement at 7 a.m. EST: “An early morning network issue briefly disrupted service for some Verizon Fios customers in the Northeast. Once the issue was identified, our engineering teams quickly restored service.”

According to Downdetector, a third-party website that tracks service disruptions in real time, reports of the outages spiked between midnight and 2 a.m. ET, with the network receiving thousands of complaints during that time.

90 percent of these complaints related to internet services, 9 percent were described as a “total blackout” and 1 percent involved TV streaming.

In addition to the east coast, an area in southern Kansas also appears to be affected, according to the map.

A user on

Verizon Fios is a fiber optic internet, TV and phone service from Verizon. The company is the largest mobile operator in the country.

Newsweek reached out to Verizon via email outside of regular business hours on Tuesday for more information.

Another online tracker, Outage.Report, also reported that outrage reports for Verizon Fios had been received in around 26 cities.

In addition to Verizon, other major internet service providers such as AT&T, Cox and Xfinity also saw an increase in reported outages, according to Downdetector.

Commenters on the site noted that their internet had been down for hours and criticized Verizon for not addressing the issue as of 3 a.m. ET.

“The @Verizon FiOS network has been down for almost two hours and neither they nor @VerizonSupport have posted anything,” one user wrote.

“So. Massive, widespread Fios internet outage with no confirmation from Verizon. It’s been over an hour. They don’t seem to confirm anyone. It primarily affects the East Coast/DMV region. It’s a little worrying,” another person said.

Verizon responds to individual users on its Verizon Support website

Verizon has experienced several outages in the US in recent months, including in September and October.

Is Verizon Wi-Fi down?

Yes. Verizon Fios is a bundled Internet access, telephone and television service provided by Verizon Communications, operating over a fiber optic network in the United States. The current Fios outage means Wi-Fi access is limited for a number of customers on the East Coast.

Verizon Internet Outages Map

According to Downdetector, the outage was reported in a number of metropolitan areas along the East Coast, primarily around Washington DC. Fios also appears to be down in the Wichita, Kansas area.

Is Verizon down in your area? How to check

The Verizon Fios outage and reported issues map provided by Downdetector shows the portion of the US currently affected by the outage. Downdetector only reports an incident if the number of problem reports is significantly higher than the typical volume for that time of day.

Users briefly reported that Verizon’s support page was down, but it appears to be back up. If you experience an outage, you can check there for updates and troubleshooting tips.