Can you hear me now? Despite new tower, signal problems persist

By JEFF MORRIS

Cell service in Bedford Village continues to be a problem for some people, despite all the time and effort spent over the last few years to solve it.

When the new Verizon cell tower behind the Bedford Post Inn went live earlier this year, it was expected to fill a coverage gap in the area that has long vexed town residents. It was perhaps unavoidable that after all the years of wrangling and lawsuits that led up to the tower being built, cell customers would anticipate an immediate solution to their complaints. But that is not what happened.

Soon after the antenna was turned on, people began turning to social media to say that not only was their service not improved — it had gotten worse.

Back in March, The Recorder received a note from a reader on Seminary Road, who said, “I live in Bedford Village and so far the cell signal is as weak as ever.”

The Recorder learned from the town that the Wireless Facilities Working Group planned to have a presentation at the April 1 town board meeting to address this issue, and to explain who was responsible for different aspects of cell service. That presentation was then rescheduled for April 15, but was subsequently again bumped to May 6 so that WFWG could first have their own regular meeting on April 17 and develop their presentation as a group.

In the meantime, comments blew up on the Bedford Village Facebook page, with people saying their Verizon reception had either not improved or had been worse since the new tower was installed. Said one, “This connectivity issue has never been a problem over the past decade UNTIL about 2 months ago. This must be related to the new tower. I could add about 100 more people here who are currently experiencing dropped calls constantly in my area — Brook Farm and 172.”

As happens often on social media, however, the problems cited soon strayed off topic. A number of people said their problem was with AT&T, though so far no carrier other than Verizon has co-located on the Bedford Post tower. Others said they could not get a signal inside the DeCicco & Sons supermarket; one complained of static along Route 121.

Town board member Tom Catoliato, the board’s liaison to WFWG, posted his cellphone number and offered to discuss the matter with anyone who was having a problem. 

“Specific details and situations are best to discuss so we can fully understand the issues,” he said. “We’ve seen vast improvements in the village itself, down by the elementary school, up and down Route 121, up and down Route 137, up and down Route 22/Cantitoe and even as far as Sunnyfield Farm.” He added that one tower does not solve all the issues.

That point was addressed in a memo posted to the town website’s WFWG page on Feb. 26, which offered several explanations for why the new tower had not solved all of Bedford Village’s coverage issues.

“While the coverage is now quite extensive throughout the town of Bedford, there are still gaps in coverage and even where service is good, there are pockets to be expected where service does not reach, or days when a facility may have issues,” said the memo.

It went on: “Due to the tower height, terrain, foliage and location of the Post Inn site, this facility will not solve all wireless gaps in Bedford; nor would any other single facility. Therefore, additional facilities are needed to address Bedford’s remaining significant wireless gaps.” 

The WFWG memo referred to recommendations in the northern Westchester Wireless Master Plan, which said there was a need for “additional macro facilities” in the vicinities of the Bedford Village Triangle and the hill behind the Hunting Ridge Mall. It said concealed rooftop antennas near the triangle should add coverage along 172 towards and including portions of Long Ridge Road, while adding capacity to Bedford’s central hamlet area and the Bedford Village Elementary School. It also recommended a macro facility on the hill behind the Hunting Ridge Mall to add coverage to the mall, Farms area and portions of Routes 22 and 172.

In a specific reference to the Bedford Post tower’s long, litigious history, the memo noted, “A lawsuit that challenged the Post facility’s construction approvals resulted in a settlement in the court reducing the facility’s height to 115’, from the originally proposed 130’ resulting in less coverage.”

Town Supervisor Ellen Calves told The Recorder that because of his participation in the WFWG, Catoliato has knowledge of where sites are in and around Bedford and how the signals work among Bedford’s hilly terrain, and so had offered to help people.

“Complaints are coming from people who live in locations that are beyond ridges or hills that existing facilities were never intended to reach,” she said.

She also confirmed that only Verizon antennas are up on the newest tower, though she has heard that “other carriers like AT&T will come in soon.” 

According to Calves, carrier companies apply to site facilities to fill “significant gaps” in service, “but their commercial objective has not been to provide service to every street and every home, which would require much more investment and be far more intrusive.” She said while the northern Westchester Wireless Plan shows how the existing and developing projects have been built to fill target gaps, “There are only a few large gaps that remain that we anticipate carriers will apply to fill.”