Sen. Charles Schumer (SHOO’-mur) says a survey by his office has identified more than 4,000 cellphone dead zones in upstate NY.
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“When it comes to cell service across Upstate New York, these dead zones are proof carriers need to – quite frankly – raise the bar”, Schumer in a statement.
Schumer says Upstate NY residents have reported more than four-thousand cell phone dead zones scattered throughout the state.
The senator says his survey shows about 4,800 reports of “dead spots” from cell phone customers, including 440 from the Rochester and Finger Lakes region.
Schumer says quality wireless service must be an essential part of modern US infrastructure, just like roads and mass transit, and consumers deserve access to information that allows them to make informed decisions about their wireless carriers. Schumer says wireless carriers have a responsibility to fix the problem.
In the Bronx, there are at least nine dead zones, including Creston Avenue, Van Cortlandt Avenue East, East Gun Hill Road, Wayne Avenue, West Kingsbridge Road, Independence Avenue, Grand Concourse, Carroll Place and City Island Road.
“When you buy a cell phone you probably expect to get coverage in all kinds of areas that have dead zones”.
The other regions of Upstate with the most dead zones reports were the Southern Tier (788), Western New York (733) and the Capital Region (635). “Now communities across the entire state have submitted critical dead zones locations to my office, our wireless carries must make sure they are fixed”.
Senator Chuck Schumer detailed the results of an online crowdsourcing campaign to help identify where these dead zones are on Wednesday.
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Schumer says he will use the information to back up his previous complaints to the Federal Communications Commission about service that “is spotty at best” in large swaths of Upstate New York.
