Verizon Wireless network down in Midwest USA, no ETR for repair

For those of you experiencing difficulties with your Verizon data-laden products this afternoon, specifically with LTE devices such as the DROID RAZR or the BIONIC up in the Midwest part of the United States, Verizon has confirmed that they are working on the problem as we speak, though there appears to be no ETR (estimated time of resolution) at the moment. We've been hearing for a few hours now in some cases that users in and around Chicago, lower parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa are all experiencing troubles with their data on smartphones, tablets, and Wi-fi hotspots. If you are one of these people, please feel free to comment below and we'll forward the information to Verizon so the scope of the problem can be assessed.

Comments such as "Yes, we do have a reported issue in that area. It is being worked on right now! ^DGM" and "Hi! I feel your pain. We're aware of issue & working diligently to resolve as soon as possible. I apologize for inconvenience ^AC" and of course "There is no ETA at this time. We have engineers working on this. Thank you for your patience. ^JL" have been ringing out for a few hours now from Verizon's official VZWSupport line, with no new update as to how long it'll take for a repair to be made. Screaming about it won't help you, but venting through poetry might – feel free to write your own Verizon poem below, and don't forget to rhyme! Some possible topics for discussion through lines of perfectly placed letters are thus:

• Your feelings on the downed LTE network in the Midwest

• A very special flavoring of Android coming to Verizon soon

• Your network speed once the problem is fixed!

I'm sure you'll find it in your heart to forgive the folks taking care of the problem right this second, and note the following: the image you see at the top of this post was literally posted by Verizon earlier this year when LTE was brought to a new set of markets. Cats love the network!

UPDATE: another official statement from Verizon on the matter:

Verizon Wireless engineers have been working to resolve an issue with 4GLTE service that is affecting some customers' 4G devices. 3G data and voice devices are unaffected. All customers' voice calls and text messages continue to go through. In the past 24 hours, some 4GLTE customers have reported their devices are operating on 3G data service where they would normally get 4G. Some have reported no issues, others that data access is either intermittent or unavailable. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.