Senator Sees “Dead Zones” in New York State

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Many areas of New York state are “dead zones” when it comes to cell service, even with leaders Verizon and AT&T as major carriers, reported the Press & Sun-Bulletin. It’s not just New York that’s struggling with the absence of coverage, either; the Northern Tier of neighboring state Pennsylvania has a major coverage void as well.

According to research conducted by the USA Today Network involving wireless customers in the upstate New York region – which reflected a similar survey by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer’s staff last year – an estimated 4,000 dead zones exist in New York, most of them upstate. According to Schumer, “It is true that for the most part, cell service in the big cities is pretty good. But throughout wide swathes, the more rural areas in upstate New York, service can be spotty and you can even find it in large suburban areas as well. Places you would never expect. We even found it in the most populated places in New York City.” 

Even though Schumer brought the coverage gaps to the attention of the FCC based on his study, little has changed for the Hudson Valley and Southern Tier areas that are most affected. Now, with some FCC commissioner slots open, Schumer plans to press candidates to address poor service in upstate New York.

According to representatives from Verizon and AT&T, they’re continuously improving their networks. Kate MacKinnon, a spokeswoman at AT&T, said the company has invested $1.3 billion over the past three years to improve its upstate New York network. But some question how much telecoms are willing to invest in more rural areas with rolling terrain.

“Coverage is costly, and they will only do it where there are enough subscribers,” said Aija Leiponen, associate professor at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management within the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University.

Even with the improvements by carriers, customers are still finding it difficult to make calls, send text messages, use GPS navigation, or load a web page. Residents are also concerned about lack of service when it comes to emergency situations, so they’re holding on to their landline phones just in case.

Schumer points to inaccurate coverage maps as part of the problem. “The coverage maps have no resemblance to reality,” Schumer said. For a state as populated as New York, the condition is “appalling,” he said, especially when customers count on accuracy when they decide which cell phone company will best serve their needs.

“Like it or not, we’re tied at the hip to our cell phones,” Schumer said. “But what good are cell phones if we don’t have good service?”

October 16, 2017

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