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Cell Phone Dead Zones In Northern Westchester Need Action, Schumer Says

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer is calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to crack down on wireless providers' lack of transparency and the accuracy in the coverage maps.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer

Photo Credit: Contributed

“There are more cell phone dead zones in Northern Westchester and Putnam Counties than post-winter potholes on the West Side Highway – and misrepresenting coverage maps to give the impression a wireless carrier provides coverage in an area where it does not is false advertising, pure and simple,” said Schumer in a press release. “Wireless carriers must be held accountable to produce accurate coverage maps.” 

At best, inaccurate maps are inconvenient and expensive for customers; at its worst, this lack of service could pose a serious threat to safety. 

Schumer explained that wireless carriers often use coverage maps to show that their company offers superior coverage compared to competitors. However, because Americans are increasingly relying on wireless technology to communicate, customers rely on these coverage maps advertised by the carriers to make their purchasing decisions. Schumer said that is exactly why it is critical these maps be accurate. 

"In recent years, many New York consumers have reported increasing problems with poor network performance, particularly in more rural areas, like Northern Westchester and Putnam, where there are fewer cellular towers and less wireless infrastructure," the press release stated. One of the areas that has received the worst coverage, despite wireless companies’ advertisements, is the Hudson Valley, including Northern Westchester County and Putnam County.

According to a recent study released by RootMetrics, the Hudson Valley, which includes Northern Westchester and Putnam Counties, ranked at the very bottom of 125 populous U.S. metro areas surveyed for mobile network performance. 

Despite major network carriers advertising full coverage in their maps in most areas of the Hudson Valley, the study found that the actual service in the area failed in six major categories, including overall performance, network speed, network reliability, data performance, call performance and text performance. 

Schumer said this is unfair to consumers who do their research before making a decision regarding cell phone carriers and are left surprised following the purchase when they realize many areas in Northern Westchester County and Putnam County, and throughout the Greater Hudson Valley area, are complete dead zones.

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