Although AT&T has plans to replace the ailing Swanton, VT cell tower, its current state of disrepair is creating outage issues in the region, according to the Saint Albans Messenger. The greatest concern of local authorities is that faulty service could impact FirstNet providers.
While a temporary tower has been installed as a stop gap measure, input from local providers suggests that a permanent replacement is essential. In his investigation of the issue, Vermont State Representative Brian Savage noted, “I’ve talked with our fire chief here and other officers of the fire department. They didn’t have any service.” When FirstNet was first rolled out in 2017, a consultant reported that there would be some gaps in coverage, a situation exacerbated by the deteriorating Swanton tower.
Responding to concerns, AT&T Executive Care and Advocacy representative, Asha Williams, reached out to Savage and advised that AT&T was working diligently to address service issues. Although there is no announced date for a permanent replacement tower, AT&T said that they expected their repair efforts to restore service by the end of this week.
After his exchange with AT&T, Savage passed along the suggestion that AT&T customers who experienced outages should continue to pay their bills and seek restitution once service is restored. “We’ll see what this Friday is going to bring,” he told the Saint Albans Messenger. “I know things happen, however by the same token they’re there to provide a service. I just want to make sure that my constituents and their customers get compensated in some manner for this loss of service.”
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