Thurston County residents say ‘cell desert’ is putting their lives at risk
Excerpt from KIRO-7 TV, Seattle:
Residents of a Thurston County community south of Yelm say they live in a cell phone desert and it is putting their lives at risk.
The Clearwood Community is some eight-and-a-half miles from the nearest cell phone tower in the city of Yelm. But its reach is not far enough to provide reliable service for hundreds of residents.
Residents say that means they can’t even call 911 unless they are near the tower.
Unless residents have internet service, they struggle to get calls in and out.
“When there’s no power and your internet goes out, that’s it,” said Melissa Godoy, Yelm SE Cell Tower Facebook group founder. “You’re just in a dead zone. You’re a sitting duck and anything could happen.”
Godoy has worried that their spotty cell service could someday have devastating consequences since her military family moved to the picturesque Clearwood Community.
It’s a cell phone desert, she says.
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3 comments
not everyone wants a cell tower next to them. there are hazards from them, particularly potentially as for childrens minds. also some of us do not spend our lives with a cell phone glued to our ear and rely on common sense in unforseen situations.
I agree and have been on every previous campaign to prevent a cell tower from being installed out in the Bald Hill area.
A new cell tower is badly needed. It’s a shame that the government and large communication corporations are ignoring the needs of a community, many with disabilities. I do realize that there are foil hat NIMBY’s in the area, but lives are being put at risk.
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