At 4:00 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, October 30th Sprint (A Tier 1 Internet backbone provider) severed their peering connections with fellow Tier 1 Internet backbone provider Cogent Communications. This depeering was due to a contract dispute that Cogent claimed was already in litigation. Webpronews broke this story within hours of the depeering.

At the time of this article (5:00 p.m. Eastern, Sunday November 2nd) it appears as though Sprint has resumed peering with Cogent; eliminating the "blackhole" caused by this breakage that has been ongoing for several days. Peering connections between Sprint and Cogent can be seen at The Internet Health Report.

There is no word from either Sprint or Cogent as to whether their differences have been settled or if this is a permanent restoration of service.

Update – 9:30 PM ET – Sprint released this statement:

Dear Valued Customers,

On Thursday, October 30th, Sprint Nextel completed a disconnection of its network from Cogent Communications. This action was taken by Sprint after Cogent breached its contract and failed to pay for its ongoing connection to the Sprint network, despite repeated collections attempts by Sprint.

Until this issue is resolved, Sprint will continue to work tirelessly to the extent within our control to mitigate the effects on customers. As part of an interim solution, Sprint initiated a temporary reconnection to the Cogent network on Sunday, November 2nd so that customers would have temporary access while longer-term alternate and permanent access options are explored.

We emphasize that this reconnection is temporary only, as the core issues in this dispute have not changed. Cogent was notified in advance of the November 2nd reconnection; therefore, any access disruptions occurring during this temporary period are the sole result of a negative reaction instigated by Cogent against the customers of both parties.

Sprint deeply regrets any inconvenience caused by this issue and we do not take our actions lightly given frustrations experienced by customers of both parties.