Neither Comcast nor Verizon use POTS lines around here. Everything is routed across their cable/fiber network. While the poles themselves were down, a majority

Neither Comcast nor Verizon use POTS lines around here. Everything is routed across their cable/fiber network. While the poles themselves were down, a majority of the wiring was still intact. The power went out as a result of over 400 transformers blowing, and a manual shutdown of most circuits for safety. Enough of the lines were connected in order for Verizon's fiber to remain connected (most of which is not underground here), and the same was true of Comcast's coax... it just didn't have the signal strength to make it back to the CO without power.