What’s the reason for the spotty reception Verizon customers are experiencing in the Patagonia area? Is it interference from new towers across the border? Is the tower on Red Mountain being overwhelmed by a bigger tower built by AT&T? Are we now getting our signal from Sonoita? Sierra Vista? Or are we just in a “less-than-optimal” service area?
Dropped calls. Zero to one bar of service in the middle of Patagonia. Needing to use wifi to make a call from one’s home. Patagonians have taken to social media in recent months to ask one another whether they’ve learned of any possibility of improvement of their reception. The general consensus: “No.” Hours of time on phone calls to Verizon’s customer service have yielded conflicting information and no resolution.
Jeff Maxwell, Safety Officer for the Patagonia Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD) has been asking for a remedy since January.
“Suddenly, one day, we no longer had service we could depend on,” he said. “It got to be a health and safety issue when we had a medical emergency out on a ranch and we couldn’t find the address – we had zero bars. Fighting a big fire in August, we were unable to talk to one another in areas we used to have service. Sometimes we can’t make a call from inside the fire station.”
Nine separate Verizon work orders from the FVFD yielded as many explanations – everything from a broken piece of equipment they plan to fix this January to one representative telling Maxwell that the cell tower on Red Mountain had been taken down.
The fire department is evaluating making a switch to AT&T. AT&T holds a 25-year contract for FirstNet, a nationwide network for first responders that allows calls from emergency personnel to take precedence over other traffic during a major emergency. This network was set up following a recommendation from the 9/11 Committee that something be done to avoid the situation that occurred on that day when the New York City communication systems became overloaded. Although Verizon offers a priority service for first responders, Maxwell was told Patagonia doesn’t have adequate reception to take advantage of this option.
Some local firefighters, including Ivan Mingura, have already made the switch. “We got tired of not being able to use our phones, even right in town,” he said. “Now I have fewer dead spots on the drive to Nogales or Tucson, and where I work out in the field.”
Talk on the Patagonia Local Facebook page shows Mingura is not alone. Several there talk about making the switch out of frustration.
This seems to be a Patagonia problem. With some exceptions, residents in other eastern Santa Cruz County communities don’t report the same issues, except when they drive through areas like River Road or along Route 82.
“I got nowhere with Verizon,” said Carolyn Shafer of Patagonia. “Finally I filed an FCC complaint. Verizon called me and said that we ‘are not in an optimal service area.’”
Shafer switched to AT&T, partly because AT&T is the FirstNet service provider. Shafer is a member of the Patagonia Community Emergency Response Team, a group of volunteer citizens who train and organize to assist the community during incidents or emergencies when professional first responders may not be available. This role allows her to take advantage of the prioritized service in an emergency.
Michael Young, Patagonia School Vice Principal and Behavior Specialist, got as far as corresponding directly with a representative from the Verizon Executive Relations office.
“When upgrading our phones didn’t help, she sent me a range extender, which helped inside my house,” he said. “But I’m not inside my house most of the day. I’m on the school campus, right in town, and directly in view of Red Mountain. After she told me that I must have trees or tall buildings interfering with my signal, I sent her a photo of my direct view of the Red Mountain tower from campus. Finally, I wrote her back: ‘It is with a heavy heart that I must leave Verizon. For the past 21 years, I have lived in the same home with exceptional service.’”
According to Denise Bowdon, Office Manager at South32, Verizon knows there’s no signal coming from Red Mountain, and that we are receiving our signal from Sonoita. Andy Anderson, of Patagonia, has used several apps that show the power and direction of cell tower signals. He concurs with Bowdon.
The reviews from those who’ve switched to AT&T have been very positive. Adrienne Halpert said, “I’ve switched to AT&T, and the signal is strong and consistent, after 21 years with Verizon.” Carolyn Shafer said she now has “a signal all the time and anywhere.” Mary Tolena reported that her reception is “much, much better.”
As far as the cost of switching, a lot depends on the plan chosen, whether one has a phone to trade in, the value given to that phone, and more. One person switching a six-person family plan is paying about the same, with four members upgrading their phones.
There is another potential issue: interference from new towers in Sonora, MX. According to the Verizon representative interviewed by the PRT, they “will be working on it in the future.” In the meantime, Patagonians are figuring it out the best they can.