AUBURN – It’s a twist on Verizon’s “Can you hear me now?” ad campaign, but it’s one that Maine Public Advocate Steve Ward hopes someday will fade into history.
If Gov. John Baldacci has his way, that’ll happen sooner rather than later.
Ward is urging cell-phone users to let his office know where around Maine their calls crackle, fade and fail. He calls the effort “I can’t hear you now.” A link on his office’s Web site makes reporting the faulty service easy.
Baldacci and Ward each praised a Verizon competitor, Unicel, during a visit to Unicel’s new Center Street retail office Thursday. The company recently announced a $45 million upgrade of its wireless network in the Northeast. Much of that money will be spent improving cell phone and other wireless services in rural Maine.
The governor called for such improvements during his State of the State speech earlier this year.
Lousy cell-phone connections, Baldacci maintains, can impede business growth and development in Maine.
Rick O’Connor, senior vice president of Unicel’s Northeast region, said the business is looking to improve its service throughout Maine. Infrastructure improvements are planned in larger cities like Lewiston as well as small rural towns, he said. Unicel’s goal is to make sure its customers can have good connections whether they’re using their cell phones on the front porch or driving down the interstate, he said. Improving Unicel’s wireless network, he added, will also enhance its customers’ ability to gain access to the Internet.
Baldacci praised Unicel for its initiative, saying it will help Mainers to “connect around the world to do business.”
He also named O’Connor to head a task force charged with finding ways to eliminate so-called “dead” service zones in Maine.
Other cell-phone service providers will also serve on the task force.
Ward said attending Thursday’s event gave him an opportunity not merely to lament poor cell service in areas of the state, but also to “celebrate the good” that Unicel is doing for its customer base.
On the Web: www.state.me.us/meopa
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