Millions of Verizon users faced temporary disruption after a fiber optic cable cut left customers without service across multiple U. Warnings about a US fiber crunch that could slow down broadband deployment have intensified since the summer. Multiple subsea fiber optic cables in the Red Sea suffered simultaneous cuts on September 6, 2025, disrupting global internet and communications traffic. The incident began at 05:45 UTC and has forced operators to reroute traffic between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe over alternate paths. While. Unlike when an excavator strikes a gas or electric line, there isn't an immediate and obvious threat to public safety from an accidentally cut fiber optic cable. Here, we explore five of those consequences and discuss.