Test Confirms Vermont Cellphone Coverage Remains ‘Lacking’

Source: Seven Days

If cellphone service where you live is so spotty that you leave your phone at home when you’re out and about, you’re not alone. A new interactive map of Vermont’s cellphone coverage shows that in several towns, including Calais, Woodbury, Corinth and Ripton, service is poor to nonexistent.

The interactive maps released by the Vermont Department of Public Service on Thursday show consumers which areas of the state are covered by the six available providers. That can help people choose the service that works best for them.

It will also help phone companies know where to direct their resources, according to Corey Chase, a telecommunications infrastructure specialist at the department who led the mapping project this summer.

“There are significant areas where voice service is lacking; everyone in Vermont knows that,” Chase said on Thursday. “This is demonstrable proof, and that’s a significant 911 problem.”

The department tested all six of the phone carriers through driving trips on three-quarters of the state’s public roads. In their report, they focused on how homes, businesses and other buildings were served by mobile phone service, not roads. The buildings are meant to be a tool for indicating the relative proportion of areas with service, Chase said.

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