PSC Comissioner Presley Demands Better Cell Phone Coverage in Rural Areas

Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley wants better cell phone coverage in rural North Mississippi. Service providers say they’re doing the best they can. MPB’s Cari Gervin has more.

If you’ve ever traveled anywhere in Mississippi, chances are, you’ve lost cell phone coverage.

“We hear from a lot of consumers about dropped calls, dead zones.”

Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley:

“And it’s important in 2009 that your cell phone work. I mean, let’s face it – this is a program and these are services that consumers are paying for, so the phone needs to work in all areas of the state.”

Presley’s talking on a cell phone here, while driving in rural Mississippi – you might notice that he doesn’t sound so great.

He says that wireless service has gotten better, but improvements haven’t come fast enough. Especially since over the past five years, $500 million has gone to service providers specifically to improve service in rural areas. And that’s why Commissioner Presley launched his “Zap the Gap” initiative on Thursday.

“We want to make sure that money’s spent in areas that need the help.”

That money comes from the Universal Service Fund, a fee the FCC tacks on to every phone bill so that providers will make service improvements in areas where it wouldn’t otherwise be profitable.

ATT spokesperson Sue Sperry says the company is working as fast as it can, using those funds to activate new sites.

“Once you identify and fund that you’re going to put a cell site somewhere, you know, it takes months to be able to build it out.”

Spokespersons at Verizon and Cellular South made similar statements, saying they are continuously working on improving their coverage areas in all of Mississippi.

However, Presley’s initiative is only for his district. He said he was unsure if the Central or Southern District Commissioners would announce similar programs.

For MPB News, I’m Cari Gervin in Oxford.