Hurricane Sandy disrupts U.S. telecom networks

SERVICE DISRUPTION: Traffic passing by the Verizon Communications headquarters in New York, Feb 14, 2005 file photo. Among the telecom providers in Northeastern states, Verizon may have suffered some of the worst damage to its wireline network from the Hurricane Sandy storm. - Reuters

NEW YORK: Power outages and flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy disrupted telecommunications services in Northeastern states in the United States on Tuesday, resulting in spotty coverage for cellphones, television, home telephones and Internet services.

While all the region's telecom service providers were having problems, Verizon Communications, which serves many of the states in the hurricane's path, may have suffered some of the worst damage from the storm to its wireline network.