Wireless dead zones plague rural America. Kentucky residents, with few large cities and vast rural expanses, are no strangers to problems with wireless service. Most coverage in the state comes from cell towers located close to interstates and in downtown areas that see a high volume of traffic from lots of local users. Jeff Cohn, founder of a website that tracks dead cell zone complaints, says the majority of feedback from bad cell service is “coming from people who are in rural America.” (WKYT)
Why are there not more towers in rural areas? Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky, Dr. William Smith, explained, “It costs a certain amount of money to put up a cell tower. If you are not getting enough business from it, you won’t put a tower there.” (WKYT) In short, carriers cannot provide high speed service in some areas, simply because it is not cost effective.
However, in the case of Kentucky, large efforts are being made to expand wireless infrastructure. AT&T, one of the largest wireless providers in Kentucky, currently has over 100 ongoing projects in the state. (WKYT) Most of the projects are dedicated to improving or expanding 4G LTE service by installing technology to add spectrum and network coverage to more regions.
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