The Nashville Christmas Day Bombing involved an explosion in front of a commercial communications facility which caused damage to the structures in the immediate area and caused consumer telephone and internet outages, as well as 911 outages as far as Alabama and Kentucky. The 911 outages impacted some centers for over a week. It disrupted about 170 public safety answering points (PSAPs). Telephone, data, and internet outages were seen as far as Atlanta, Georgia.

The case study provides public safety officials with knowledge to better prepare for severe communications outages and work with commercial providers and other partners to maintain and restore service. It outlines a timeline for the event and the significant challenges and impacts posed by the bombing on public safety communications. The document describes key takeaways and associated best practices related to communications resiliency; cascading impacts of the explosion including power outages and flooding; and the need for forensic investigation.