WHY HAVE 911 SERVICES AVAILABLE IF WE HAVE NO CELL PHONE SERVICE IN RURAL ALABAMA? THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION CELL PHONE MAPS ARE WRONG AND CITIZENS MUST MOBILIZE IMMEDIATELY TO DISPROVE THE MAPS.
The public meeting to discuss this will be held at 10:30 a.m. Today, September 5 location will be the Round House 204 W. 5th St. in Tuscumbia
TUSCUMBIA-When you pay your telephone bill (cell or landline) you pay a $1.50/month into what’s called the Universal Service Fund. This fund was created to make money available to providers to fund improvements in communications to customers. It was originally used to run the copper telephone lines that were attached to the poles to our homes and businesses. Today this money may be used to construct cell phone towers to serve areas that do not have cell phone service.
The FCC publishes maps for each state that shows the areas that do not have cell phone service. According to the map Colbert County has almost complete cell phone coverage except for one small area located near the Franklin County line. We all know that this is not true but what WE know is not important. Our task is to disprove the FCC map. When I travel Highway 247, for a distance of sixteen miles, I have no cell phone service. This completely contradicts the FCC map.
Even though the FCC maps are inaccurate they are considered factual in providing the funding to the providers for the construction of new cell phone towers. The area on Highway 247 would not qualify for a grant to construct a new cell phone tower because the map clearly shows that this area is already served.
Between now and November 26, 2018 we have an opportunity to correct these maps by proving to FCC that the maps are incorrect. Recently I visited Brandon Presley, Chairman of the Mississippi Public Service Commission, at his office in Nettleton, Ms. When I arrived I found that his entire staff was extremely busy working on a project that was designed to disprove the FCC maps for northern Mississippi.
Chairman Presley has agreed to attend today’s meeting at 10:30 a.m. to explain the procedure that we must follow if we want new cell phone coverage in Northwest Alabama. A representative from Commissioner Twinkle Cavanaugh’s office(Alabama Public Service Commission) has also accepted an invitation to attend the meeting. The site for this meeting will be the Round House at 204 W. 5th St. in Tuscumbia. I want to encourage volunteer fire department and rescue squad members, law enforcement officials, ALFA board members, education leaders, county commissioners, other elected officials, county cooperative extension employees, other public officials and employees and concerned citizens of Northwest Alabama to attend this extremely important meeting.
The deadline for getting all the information to FCC is November 26, 2018. We must mobilize immediately if we are to meet this deadline!
