Vandals Disrupt Cable TV Service to 70,000 Homes

Vandalism to a Continental Cablevision cable disrupted television service to as many as 70,000 customers over the weekend, in some cases for more than 17 hours, the company said Sunday.

A major distribution cable was severed about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, shutting off service to Hollywood, the Wilshire Corridor and “about half of the downtown area, including all the hotels,” Continental Cablevision customer service manager Michael Guidry said.

Service to some customers was restored by 1:30 a.m. Sunday, but the full system was not in operation until midafternoon, Guidry said.

“We have no clues at all,” he said of the motive for the vandalism or who may have been responsible.

Although cable television companies occasionally have been victims of vandalism, “normally someone’s trying to make a point of some sort” and a cable is cut during an event such as the Super Bowl, Guidry noted.