Verizon to New Hartford, Utica residents: We can hear you now
Back in April, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer stood with residents in New Hartford and Utica and asked Verizon if they could hear these folks now.
On Wednesday, Verizon said they could hear the residents, pledging to construct a new cell tower near Oneida Street, which has a dead zone that has long plagued the two municipalities.
“After meeting with South Uticans and New Hartford residents at their wit’s end with a cell phone dead zone that’s seemingly unfixable, I turned up the volume on Verizon in hopes that they would get the message and fix this longstanding issue,” Schumer said in a statement formally announcing the cell tower plans.
“I am proud to say: Verizon heard me loud and clear and is already taking action to investigate the problem, meet with local officials, and develop a plan to generate a solution,” said Senator Schumer. “Plans are in place to build a new cell tower to bring high-quality mobile service to Utica and New Hartford, and I will not stop fighting until this dead zone is fixed for our local residents, Ridgewood business owners and first responders once and for all.”
Entering the dead zone
In early April, Schumer, standing alongside a baker, a pasta shop owner, a grocer, a hairdresser, a dry cleaner, elected officials and public safety professionals at Ridgewood Plaza on Oneida Street in Utica, called on Verizon to address a cellphone dead zone in the area.
Schumer said the dead zone prevents people in South Utica and neighboring New Hartford from making and taking calls, taking mobile payments and may even risk public safety.
The senator also sent a letter to Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg.
Schumer explained cellular dead zones are areas where there is no cellular signal, either because the signal is being blocked, the tower is too small for the area or because the cell phone tower is too far. Causes for these dead zones can vary.
The senator publicly called on Verizon to do three things: investigate the problem, meet with local officials and come up with a plan to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
Schumer said the issue has been a persistent problem and something Verizon should have already addressed and fixed. He further stated Verizon’s own coverage map actually shows that the area of the dead zone has perfect service when typed into the search.
New Hartford Town Supervisor Paul Miscione, in April said many town residents have dropped calls in the area and further called the area a public safety hazard.
Gaining reception
The village of New Hartford’s Village Board recently approved Verizon’s application to construct a new tower, which will mitigate coverage issues for South Uticans, residents of New Hartford, and drivers traveling along Oneida Street, Schumer said in the statement
Local leaders are hopeful that with the progress finally being made on the problem following Schumer’s advocacy that they and Verizon can continue to work together to finally bring cellular service to the area.
“Thanks to Senator Schumer’s intervention, the Village of New Hartford and Verizon are making real progress towards a new cellular tower at the New Hartford Recreation Center,” said Village of New Hartford Mayor Donald J. Ryan in a statement. “In recent months, the Village Board has fast-tracked approvals, Verizon engineers have conducted a site visit, and a land lease agreement is imminent”
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oneida Street cell service: Verizon building new tower
