My ISP had a 14-hour interruption of service yesterday/today, as the main fibre link that supplies this part of the country had been severed. I called the ISP to find out how long the outage would be, only minutes after it started. I got the same answer then as I did nearly 14 hours later: we're aware of the problem, and are doing everything we can to fix it. I called the billing department to voice my concern, so I could receive a credit. Their response: the problem was caused by vandalism - something not in our control - so we're not responsible. There will be no billing adjustment.

OK, with internet service gone, I thought I'd just settle in with the TV. No luck. All the premium services use the same fibre link to deliver services to the digital cable box. No internet, and no TV movies for 14 hours! I think I finally understand what tobacco withdrawal feels like.