Internet down: is there an outage in your area?

Check the scope of the problem before changing your settings.

The answer in 2 lines. Check whether your equipment has power and whether the problem affects every device. Using cellular data if available, access your provider's usual account or support channel and ask whether your address is affected by an outage. Nearby customers using the same provider can offer useful clues, but their experience does not prove the cause. Record when service stopped, report the interruption and avoid repeated resets while an acknowledged outage is being repaired.

Start with these checks

Confirm that your modem or gateway has power. If your home also has an electrical outage, internet troubleshooting may need to wait.
Try different websites and another device. A single unavailable website or disconnected device does not establish a neighborhood outage.
Contact your provider through its established support channel and ask a nearby subscriber using the same provider whether their service also stopped.

Stop: danger

Storm damage or downed wires: stay away. Do not inspect street cabinets, climb poles or try to move a cable.
Water near powered equipment: keep away from the electrical hazard before checking connectivity.
A connected safety service is unavailable: follow its established backup procedure rather than assuming it still works because the router is on.

What the symptoms suggest

What you notice	What to investigate
Nearby subscribers using the same provider are also offline	A shared network interruption; ask the provider to confirm.
Your neighbors are online but your home is not	Your equipment, account or individual connection; a wider problem is still possible.
Wi-Fi appears, but websites do not load	The router may be broadcasting without a working internet connection.
Only a distant room has problems	Wireless coverage or interference inside the home.
Only one website fails	That website or the connection to it, rather than a complete outage.

These are clues, not a remote diagnosis. Tell support which pattern you observed instead of declaring the cause.

What not to do

Treating an empty outage page as proof that the network is working: your interruption may not yet be acknowledged.
Treating neighbors' reports as a confirmed restoration estimate.
Changing passwords, resetting equipment or buying a router while a confirmed outside outage is still being repaired.
Calling emergency services simply to ask when internet service will return.

Get a report recorded and make a temporary plan

Ask support whether your address is included in the incident, whether you need an individual trouble ticket and how you will receive updates. Record the start of the interruption, the case reference and any estimated restoration time. If the estimate passes, request an update rather than assuming your equipment has developed another fault.

If you use a phone hotspot, first check your plan's tethering allowance and potential charges. Pause large downloads and automatic backups while using a limited connection. Keep work documents available offline where practical.

If home phone service depends on your internet connection, do not assume it remains available. Review the backup arrangements for any alarm or medical monitoring service with its service contact before an outage occurs.

Use the right public resource

The FCC's National Broadband Map instructions explain how to look up reported service availability at an address. Use that resource when investigating available service; it does not establish whether your connection is currently working.

For an unresolved service or billing dispute, open the FCC Consumer Complaint Center, choose internet service and provide a concise chronology, supporting records and the outcome you want. Read the FCC complaint questions and answers for how the process works and how to respond if the provider's answer is insufficient.

Ask your provider to review an outage credit under your agreement. Do not assume a nationwide compensation amount or restoration deadline. For applicable state protections, select your state in USAGov's consumer protection directory and follow the linked office's guidance.

Good to know

Keep screenshots of outage acknowledgments and written restoration updates.
Save support details offline, alongside your account information.
After the provider announces restoration, report continuing problems at your address rather than assuming your individual ticket remains open.

Illustrative example: Casey's home loses internet while the Wi-Fi name remains visible. A nearby subscriber reports the same problem. Support confirms an incident affecting Casey's address. Casey saves the acknowledgment, uses a phone hotspot for essential messages and requests a billing review after service returns.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on November 5, 2026, for the United States. Confidence: high for the purpose of the broadband map and public complaint routes; medium for outage diagnosis and temporary connectivity, which depend on the network, equipment and service agreement. No universal credit or restoration deadline is asserted.