Monticello, N.Y. — For a third consecutive day, the Sullivan County DMV office in Monticello remained closed Friday after a prolonged internet outage tied to Spectrum, leaving residents unable to access in-person DMV services.
County Clerk Russell Reeves said the disruption began without warning earlier this week and has left staff unable to process routine transactions that depend on internet connectivity.
“We have had no service for three days now,” Reeves said during a Friday radio interview. “Spectrum has left us hanging. We cannot get internet into the Monticello DMV, and without it, we simply cannot serve the public.”
Reeves said repeated calls to Spectrum have yielded few answers, adding that the Monticello DMV appears to be the only county office affected by the outage.
The closure has had a wide ripple effect in a largely rural county where access to transportation and identification is critical.
“If you think about daily life—driving to work, getting to a doctor’s appointment, traveling, opening a bank account—without an ID or vehicle registration, you’re really in trouble,” Reeves said. “This is tremendously impactful for our residents.”
To provide limited relief, the county has deployed a mobile DMV unit and temporarily set up two service stations with assistance from the county’s IT department. Under normal circumstances, the Monticello office operates eight to ten stations.
“We’re doing whatever emergency situations we can,” Reeves said. “But we’re operating at a fraction of our capacity.”
The timing of the outage has added to the strain. Reeves noted that New York State DMV offices—including Sullivan County’s—are scheduled to shut down for several days beginning February 13 as part of a planned statewide system upgrade.
“We’ve been preparing for weeks to get people through their transactions ahead of that shutdown,” he said. “This couldn’t come at a worse time.”
For now, officials are urging residents to complete transactions online whenever possible. Standard renewals remain available through the state DMV website. Those with urgent needs—such as medical travel or time-sensitive identification issues—are encouraged to contact the county clerk’s office directly for assistance or referrals to other DMV locations.
Despite mounting frustration, Reeves praised the public’s patience.
“The people of Sullivan County have been phenomenal,” he said. “But it’s not fair to put them through a three-day disruption like this.”
As of late Friday morning, Reeves said Spectrum had not provided a clear timeline for restoring service, though a technician was reportedly working on a nearby issue.
“We’re hopeful,” he said. “And if anyone out there has a contact at Spectrum who can help move this along, we’d welcome it.”
County officials say they will provide updates as soon as service is restored and normal DMV operations can resume.
Image: Sullivan County DMV in the Government Center in Monticello remained closed Friday for the third straight day. (Credit: Sullivan County Government)