Are small gains in Lakewood Ranch cell coverage making a difference?

Sean Moran moved to Country Club West in August.

Moran is a long-time Verizon customer who had always been happy with the coverage provider. Then he discovered a problem many Lakewood Ranch residents before him have had. The cell service in his own home was spotty.

His phone hadn’t been dropping calls, but the audio quality was often poor enough that his family members could only catch every other word he said.

“In this day and age, that’s not acceptable,” Moran said.

Verizon activated several 4G LTE small cell sites in Lakewood Ranch throughout February, according to spokeswoman Diana Alvear, in an effort to improve coverage in the area. Alvear couldn’t disclose the number of small cell sites Verizon activated or their locations for competitive reasons, but the Observer reported in Nov. 2019 that Verizon applied for small cell sites in 16 locations through the Manatee County permitting process, nine of which were on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and four of which were on Lorraine Road.

Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority Executive Director Anne Ross said AT&T applied for two small cell site permits, one at the intersection of Lorraine Road and State Road 70 and one at the intersection of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and Balmoral Woods Boulevard. However, she said it is unclear if the sites have been set up and activated. AT&T spokesperson Megan Daly said the company is "working with local officials on several projects to improve the network experience for our customers and first responders in the Lakewood Ranch area."

Moran said he has had no issues with cell phone service in areas of Lakewood Ranch away from his home. When asked if his coverage at home has improved over the last few weeks, he thought for several seconds then said it’s possibly a little better, though he added there has been no specific or obvious improvement.

Verizon spokeswoman Kate Jay previously had told the Observer a small cell’s range could extend up to 2,000 feet. Thus, if the small cell sites were primarily located along main roads, it could be difficult to reach people who live deep within their own neighborhoods. That’s where supplemental technology can make a difference.

Heather Hurley moved to Harmony in November after living in Bradenton for 20 years. She never had issues with cell phone service until she moved to Lakewood Ranch. Hurley said her phone began dropping calls once or twice a day when she was at home, particularly downstairs. She has been working with Verizon to find a solution.

First, she tried placing a network extender in the upstairs office after Verizon instructed her to place it in the middle of the house as high as possible. It didn’t help improve coverage downstairs, but Hurley said she never drops a call in the office anymore. Next, she purchased a "repeater" and placed it halfway between her router and the downstairs area where service was worst. It has helped a “tiny bit,” as Hurley said she drops slightly fewer calls downstairs.

“One woman said that it was a safety issue,” Hurley said. “If you were trying to call 911, that would be a safety issue, right? I’m going to have a hip replacement. I can’t be running upstairs to take a call.”

Alvear said any Verizon customers with concerns about their coverage at home should call the company’s customer service team to see if an extender would be the best solution based on their location. Moran, however, said he shouldn’t have to pay for more equipment to ensure quality cell phone coverage.

“I've got three phones on my plan and I'm paying a couple hundred bucks a month to Verizon,” Moran said. “It's ridiculous that I have to make a further investment, when it's 2021 and we've got 5G available. It's ridiculous that I’ve got to go out and buy some extender or some mini tower.”

However, broader improvement could be on the horizon. Verizon has plans for a 110-foot cell phone tower, which would be located on 111th Street East behind Publix at Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and S.R. 70, in the Manatee County permitting process. Alvear said the cell tower is expected to become operational in 2022 and could have a coverage radius of about two miles, depending on factors such as terrain and number of users.

“I’ve read Verizon has wanted to fix (Lakewood Ranch’s coverage problems),” Moran said. “People don't want big, ugly cell phone towers. But you can't have your cake and eat it too, folks.”