Motorists who travel U.S. Route 52 on a daily basis must deal with a number of frustrations, including dangerous driving conditions during periods of inclement weather, traffic congestion and last, but not least, cell phone dead zones.
It’s a baffling and unacceptable problem in a day and age where just about everyone owns a cell phone. The problem begins once you leave Bluewell in Mercer County. There isn’t a cell signal to be found again until you reach the town of Kimball in McDowell County. This can be particularly troublesome for a motorist who becomes stranded due to a vehicle breakdown or inclement weather.
Most areas between Bluewell and Kimball are isolated — with the exception of the towns of Bramwell, Northfork and Keystone. And there aren’t many pay phones to be found along Route 52. So if you break down, and you don’t have a cell phone signal, there aren’t many ways to call for help or assistance.
This problem hasn’t escaped the attention of the McDowell County Commission, which has been working for more than two years to try to get additional cell phone towers erected in the county.
At the current time, citizens can only pick up a cell phone signal in Kimball, Welch and War. Although the county was awarded state funding more than two years ago for the construction of two additional cell phone towers, officials have been unsuccessful in finding a provider for the service, according to County Commission President Ray Lambert.
“We have the funding right now,” Bailey said last week. “We’ve had funding for two years now to build cell towers in our county. They won’t release the funding because we can’t get a provider.”
According to Bailey, there is a petition circulating with the names of several thousand county residents who want improved cell phone coverage. It is important to note that the lack of cell phone coverage in the county also poses a threat to public safety.
In the aftermath of the Dec. 18, 2009, monster storm, many remote communities were essentially isolated from the rest of the county due to power outages and more than a foot of wet, heavy snow. Bailey said citizens living in Iaeger couldn’t call Welch, which is where the county’s 911 center is located. Without cell phone coverage, some communities were essentially cutoff from the rest of McDowell County.
If funding is available, we don’t understand why the service isn’t being provided to additional communities in McDowell County.
Improved and expanded cell phone coverage is a must for McDowell County. It’s an issue of convenience, necessity and public safety. We call upon local, state and federal officials to do everything in their power to correct these cell phone dead zones.
We need additional cell phone coverage in McDowell County, and we need it now.
Editorials
March 10, 2010
Dead zones: McDowell needs improved cell coverage
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