COLUMBIA, Mo. (May 4, 2026) - Boone County Joint Communications is currently experiencing a phone service disruption affecting some external 911 calls and all external 311 calls into the communications center.

Residents should continue to call 911 for emergencies. If the first call does not connect, hang up and call 911 again. Boone County 311 is currently unavailable.

At 3:12 a.m. on May 4, 2026, Lumen notified Boone County Joint Communications of a service disruption caused by a suspected fiber fault. The issue is impacting 911 (emergency), 311 (non-emergency), and outbound calls.

The disruption is widespread and is also affecting local hospitals, public safety agencies, and government agencies.

Due to the potential impact on emergency call routing, the Boone County Office of Emergency Management issued a Wireless Emergency Alert at 4:32 a.m. to notify the public of the issue and provide instructions for reaching 911.

Lumen technicians are on site and actively working to repair the fault. There is no estimated timeline for full restoration at this time.

For media inquiries about this incident, please contact Christie Davis, Boone County Joint Communications Director, at 573-554-1000 or by email at jointcommunications@BooneMo.Gov.

For questions about wireless emergency alerts, please contact Chris Kelley, Boone County Office of Emergency Management Director, at 573-554-7900 or by email at EM@BooneMo.Gov.

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