A comprehensive review of cellular service coverage in Peterborough showed the town wasn’t as covered as carriers previously claimed.
Peterborough resident Joel Huberman and Public Utilities Commission representative Jan Gugliotti drove the roads of Peterborough to map cell service, in hopes of showing underserved spots.
The point of the exercise was to identify areas not yet served by 4G speed. The FCC was offering $4.53 billion in support available over the next 10 years to rural areas to increase mobile voice and broadband coverage.
The PUC assisted communities with the mapping process, to compare local results with coverage maps provided by carriers, including in Peterborough.
“We found that almost everywhere, between 60 and 70 percent of the claimed service was either non-existent or way below what the FCC considers to be 4G speed,” Gugliotti said.
Huberman, who assisted with the mapping process in Peterborough, said when he embarked on the project, he was expecting, based on his own experience, tha t the coverage in Peterborough wasn’t as extensive as carriers claimed, but was surprised at the extent of the gaps.
“That’s pretty dramatic,” he said.
Based on the data nationally, the FCC is questioning those claims by some carriers. This may lead to a revision of the maps that define which areas qualify for auctions to improve cell coverage.