Improving Poor Cell Phone Service in Upstate NY

As reported in today’s ADIRONDACK DAILY ENTERPRISE (Friday March 2, 2007 edition)…

Cell tower forum planned for March 8

SARANAC LAKE — A panel discussion hosted by Sen. Betty Little and Assemblywomen Teresa Sayward and Janet Duprey will offer a chance for cell phone providers, local officials, the public and representatives of the Adirondack Park Agency to exchange ideas on ways to improve cell phone service in the Adirondack Park consistent with the APA tower siting policy….  (credit to Adirondack Daily Enterprise)

The article goes on to provide more information on the specifics of the forum. This of course is in response to the unfortunate death of a man after he and his wife were involved in a motor vehicle accident. The couple were trapped in their car, and were unable to make a call to 911 from their cell phone because of a lack of coverage on the New York State Thruway.

Since TSS Wireless has been following this story for several weeks since it happened, we contacted a local television station in upstate New York who had also reported this incident.

The station replied that there would never be any cell coverage in the area since they are are not allowed to develop it, and “I seriously doubt any town needs your services anyway.”

Three weeks later they are  a forum to try to figure out how to solve this problem. Obviously, when the NYSTA carved a path through the Adirondack Mountains, cell phones didn’t exist, yet with proper cell site development it would be fairly easy to provide cellular service, even on remote stretches of the thruway, with minimal visual impact.

TSS Wireless can be reached at 845-359-5300.