Princeton Residents Express Frustration With Wireless Providers Over Poor Service

PRINCETON, NJ —The pandemic proved that wireless connectivity is integral to everyday work and play.

But Princetonians and regular visitors to the Municipality know that some areas in town have extremely weak service resulting in dropped calls, inability to make calls and other issues.

On Monday, many residents, especially seniors, put their concerns to the council during a special meeting with representatives of service providers.

Present during the meeting were Verizon and Crown Castle, a third-party facilities provider. Mayor Mark Freda said AT&T was invited but turned down the invitation to attend.

Several residents who spoke called the service “abysmal” and highlighted the safety issues it posed.

Princeton Public Schools Superintendent Carol Kelley said the district faced issues with cell coverage in all buildings, especially the Johnson Park Elementary School.

“It truly might be an issue of life and death. Earlier this evening one of our principals sent a note through our board president stating that in her school, in no area of their building, can they count on cell service,” Kelley said.

The Superintendent noted that police personnel conducting safety drills at schools also noticed the poor cellular service.

“We are potentially having to look at what technology can we as a school district put into our schools because safety is a huge concern for our staff members,” Kelley said.

A resident told Council she could not maintain a cell phone conversation while walking through downtown.

During their presentation, Verizon showed a map of the service coverage area, but some residents called it “fiction.”

“This coverage map is great but it doesn’t exist. Where I live on Snowden Lane the coverage is horrendous,” resident Peter Madison said.

Madison went on to blame the Council, planning and zoning board for restricting cell towers to be built.

Former council member Bernie Miller, who lives on Governors Lane, said he had to step out of his house to make a call.

“I’m 94 years old, I rely on my internet service and telephone service for safety and for health,” Miller said. “I rely on it as a lifeline in the event that I have a problem in my house and I need to get help. When it’s intermittent and unreliable I stand a good chance of not getting the help that I call for.”

In a memo to Council ahead of the meeting, Jim Purcell, Assistant Municipal Engineer noted that there were several neighborhoods in Princeton where wireless service was weak or non-existent.

“Areas in Princeton where service is weak or non-existent pose a threat when our community cannot contact emergency services and when our emergency services cannot communicate,” Purcell said in his memo.

“There are many locations throughout the municipality where service is not adequate, from the central business district to residential neighborhoods to the more rural reaches of Princeton.”

Purcell said the Engineering Department has been working with the providers to inform them of poor service areas and assist them in enhancing the services, Purcell said.

“At the same time, the providers are implementing the next generation of service – 5G – which will provide for faster, more reliable services. 5G, however, is targeted for strategic locations in high traffic areas and will not solve the problems Princeton currently experiences,” he said.

Verizon’s representative Jennifer P. Young said the company met with representatives and is working on solutions, especially at the school district.

“Our goal is to continue to be responsive. We understand that this is an issue in Princeton and we are looking at a number of ways to address it,” Young said.

Councilmember weighed in on the issue. Mayor Freda said the public conversation would help Council push for solutions.

To watch the full meeting, click here.