First Wireless Carrier to Come to Paw Paw  

The small town of Paw Paw, West Virginia, could soon see their first wireless carrier come to town. Last week, U.S. Cellular announced its plans to bring service to the area. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) initiated the search for a carrier earlier this year. “If West Virginia is going to make the transitions into the next century, for our children and our grandchildren, this is absolutely an infrastructure piece that we must have,” Capito told Nicholas Munson of Your4State.com. Eight years ago a cell tower was constructed just outside the little town, which is home to 500 people. However, no carriers were interested in co-locating on the structure. “Most of the people here don’t even have cell phones,” said town manager Tina Lewis. “I mean, really, what’s the point if you don’t have service? Because even going both ways from the town, you have to go 20 miles before you have any kind of service.” (Your4State.com) Even though there will still be coverage gaps in the area, it’s a step in the right direction. The emergency services equipment is currently located on a small tower, but it will be moved to the larger tower to take advantage of increased network service. U.S. Cellular expects to start offering phone and broadband service in the first quarter of 2016, depending on the outcome of the tower siting deployment process.