I paid $2,800 for a fiber line at my shop in Tucson and got outsmarted by a ground squirrel

Dylan Flores · 2026-10-12T04:05:04.857684+00:00

So I run a small print shop off Speedway in Tucson, and our old cable internet was dying every afternoon around 2pm, right when orders pile up. I finally caved and paid $2,800 to get fiber run into the building, signed a 3 year contract, the whole thing. Worked great for 11 days. Then one Tuesday, dead. No lights, no dial tone, nothing. Tech comes out, pokes around the box on the pole, and starts laughing. A ground squirrel had chewed through the line about 40 feet down the run, and there was a little nest of shredded insulation right next to it. He said it happens all the time out here because the conduit wasn't sealed at the splice. Cost me another $600 to get it fixed and armored, plus two days of running the shop off a phone hotspot, which was brutal. Now I keep a screen over the box and I'm honestly thinking about switching to a backup wireless plan just for peace of mind. Anyone else deal with critters wrecking their business line, and did your provider cover it or stick you with the bill?

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I paid $2,800 for a fiber line at my shop in Tucson and got outsmarted by a ground squirrel | Business Internet - HW Forums