
One Man's Quest to Prove Vermont Has Terrible Cell Service - evo_9
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/01/690071045/one-mans-quest-to-prove-vermont-has-terrible-cell-service
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PaulHoule
I believe this is the case everywhere in the U.S.

That is, major cell carriers claim widespread coverage in rural and exurban
areas that is simply not the case.

People have had an incentive to expose this because of the federal funding for
wireless expansion, but really it is a "truth in advertising" issue.

~~~
rjplatte
I've had a good experience with Verizon in rural areas in New England and
Virginia/West VA. I used to use T-Mobile, and lose coverage frequently, but
now I can go days without losing signal, even in the middle of nowhere.

~~~
LeoPanthera
I have both a T-Mobile phone and a Verizon phone, and Verizon often provides
me with the experience of my phone saying that I have 4 or 5 bars, but being
unable to get any data to flow, or sometimes to even make a call.

I don't know what causes that, but I have learned to ignore the signal
strength display on Verizon.

~~~
jdod
created an account just for this:

i spend a lot of time in airports, one of my conversation starters is 'tell me
something about your work i can't find on google'.

i said this to a person who inspects/installs cell towers. this person told me
that a few years ago instead of installing new or upgrading towers for 4G LTE,
on a lot of the towers the company had them install a chip that makes it look
like users have 4g LTE signal but it's only 4g or 3g and not LTE.

i'm sure someone will come along in the comments and tell me this person lied
and this is impossible, and that may be true, just throwing my two pennies out
there.

~~~
JustSomeNobody
If AT&T can rebrand LTE as 5GE then I’m sure this could be true.

~~~
cbhl
During the transition to LTE, T-mobile did something similar -- they updated
phones to report HDSPA+ as "4G".

~~~
joecool1029
AT&T (with HSUPA) spearheaded that, T-Mobile followed but was better able to
actually argue it as their HSPA+ implementation was faster due to use of DC-
HSPA+ (42mbits).

ITU relaxed their definition of 4G to allow for "significant upgrades to 3G
technology", so blame them for everyone jumping on the bandwagon:
[https://fcw.com/blogs/mobileplatform/2011/03/att-
hspa-4g-pro...](https://fcw.com/blogs/mobileplatform/2011/03/att-
hspa-4g-problem.aspx)

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cialowicz
Here's the interactive map:
[http://vtpsd.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id...](http://vtpsd.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=444a3d49c2374d509958f1c0e1d0d21b)

And the page that links to the full report:
[https://publicservice.vermont.gov/content/mobile-
wireless-20...](https://publicservice.vermont.gov/content/mobile-
wireless-2018-drive-test)

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amichal
This map matches 1-1 in the areas I drive regularly. it orrectly shows no
coverage at home and 2-3 places on the way to work 20 miles away where there
is zero signal

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jt2190
> At stake in the state's project [of having an Vermont Department of Public
> Service employee drive around the state for six weeks taking download speed
> tests] is potentially millions of dollars in federal money. The FCC has
> $4.53 billion available to use around the country.

> "What we were looking at was being almost completely foreclosed from any of
> it because our state was considered nearly completely covered with 4G LTE
> service," [Clay] Purvis, [the state's telecommunications director] said.
> "And now we've opened up a significant amount of that space."

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rmason
Just wrote a friend who is a telecom professor and suggested they run a summer
experiment here in Michigan like this guy did with students collecting the
data.

I don't know what he will think of the idea but I'd sure like to see a
coverage map with real data, not the carriers version of the truth.

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chiph
Cell signal strength would be an interesting addition as a layer to Open
Street Maps.

~~~
maxerickson
OpenStreetMap doesn't have layers.

It's also not really a great fit for data that you'd want to gather
systematically. For signal strength, you'd get lots of data in places that
people frequent (and that tend to have good signal) and little data in more
remote places, where the measurements would be of more value.

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parksy
I think this is great but would having the phones all lined up in a box like
that cause any significant detriment / interference in their networking /
radio communications?

I hope the state gets the funding it needs.

~~~
PhantomGremlin
_would having the phones all lined up in a box like that cause any significant
detriment_

When I saw that picture I thought the same thing.

But since their goal was to document how bad the reception is, any extra
interference could only help make their case. :)

I put a smiley there, but this did seem very haphazard; not a well thought out
setup.

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beart
I've spent a lot of time in Vermont.. It has terrible cell service and no
quest is needed to prove that. As a vacation spot, I consider it a positive. I
know the residents feel differently.

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clubm8
This is a bit off topic but the article made me think about it:

I am considering getting a landline for my next home, and just realized I have
no idea what a fair price is. I have not had a landline my entire life (always
used a cell).

Is a hardline cheap in these areas or do they charge about as much as a cell
since they know there is demand for a reliable connection?

~~~
smnrchrds
What is the advantage of landline over VOIP?

~~~
clubm8
> What is the advantage of landline over VOIP?

A few things.

First, there is a small bit of power going over traditional copper lines, and
you are able to dial 911 even if the power goes out or the internet goes down.

Second it's a sociological mechanism. People in modern times are incredibly
entitled, so saying "I didn't want to answer your call because I was busy"
makes them irrationally angry.

But if you give out your landline you can just say you weren't at home.

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7952
I wonder how the cell coverage maps are generated. I think it is common to use
terrain data and tower positions to determine line of site to a tower. Is that
flawed in some way, or are the results being manipulated to improve them?

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Spooky23
God bless the guy, and too bad that the state is too cheap to buy better
equipment for the purpose.

All carriers have this data for all of the carriers in each region. If you’re
a big customer, they will even show it to you under NDA.

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toomuchtodo
We should tweak the law then to require carriers to report this data to the
FCC for public consumption as a condition of radio spectrum licensing and
usage.

~~~
Spooky23
I agree.

They would fight hard to keep that data proprietary, as certain property
owners might be more aggressive about lease pricing or royalties.

