"Can you hear me now?"
Verizon Wireless customers at the University and surrounding Charlottesville area may no longer have to ask this question, thanks to Verizon's recent announcement that the company will soon begin construction of three new cell phone towers in Albemarle County.
This announcement has excited some University students who subscribe to Verizon's cell phone service.
"I think it would be great, very helpful," third-year College student Stephanie Jean-Charles said after hearing of the proposed towers, noting that many University students are Verizon customers.
Jean-Charles said she switched to Verizon in October last year and was surprised by the lack of reception she got in the Charlottesville area.
"To be honest, it really bothered me." Jean-Charles said about the extended Verizon network, adding that she blamed the extended network's battery drain for her need to frequently charge her cell phone battery.
Second-year College student Ally Baxter agreed that the current Verizon network in Charlottesville is not up to par.
"I think the extended network is very frustrating," Baxter said, adding that the towers could be helpful because many students at the University, especially those not from Charlottesville, use the carrier.
"Verizon is really big in Northern Virginia," second-year College student Kadeem Cooper said. "And since so many U.Va. students come from NOVA., a lot of people [at the University] have it."
According to Verizon Wireless spokesperson, Paul Miller, the new cell towers are intended to cover all residents of Charlottesville as well as Albemarle County and the surrounding areas. "We have a growing number of customers in [the Charlottesville] area and they want really good service," Miller said. "This is an opportunity for us to provide it to them."
Miller noted that Verizon Wireless must get approvals for any towers in the area.
"If all goes well, we'll begin building this year," he said, adding that the projected schedule states that the towers will be completed in 2010.
While many University students can look forward to a expanded Verizon network, some Albemarle county residents are not as pleased by the news.
According to Albemarle County resident David Booth, he and other citizens of Greenwood, a community near Crozet, have been trying to get high-speed Internet access through their land-line telephone service provider -- which for Greenwood is Verizon -- for years.
According to Miller, Albemarle County residents will be able to access the Internet through these wireless towers, but he emphasized that they would have to pay according to how much they use.
"This is like using a cell phone; if you're downloading stuff you'll get billed for it, so it can get expensive," Miller said.
Booth also noted the expense of receiving broadband Internet access through the wireless towers.
"For years we've been listening to Verizon saying 'Stand by, we're coming your way," Booth said about waiting for DSL to come to the area. "Now they will do the tower and send us the big bill for it."
Verizon Communications spokesperson Harry Mitchell said Verizon has explored providing DSL to Greenwood citizens but has reservations about the cost efficiency.
"It's more expensive to serve in a rural area because there are fewer customers to spread the cost over," Mitchell said. "If it were easy and inexpensive to do, you'd have many providers out there already doing it."
According to Booth, the residents of Greenwood are not opposed to Internet access through cell towers, but they consider it to be a very expensive option and would prefer access through their telephone provider.
Regardless of how high-speed Internet is provided, Booth maintained that it is vital to residents in Greenwood.
"Not only is [being without] it economic discrimination, but it's critical that we are able to have the same services as downtown Charlottesville," Booth said.
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