Town’s cell reception remains spotty
New Canaan’s utility commission OKs company for service survey
NEW CANAAN — New Canaan is looking to finally address one of its residents’ biggest concerns by updating its maps showing where cell service works in town and where the gaps are.
New Canaan’s utilities commission chose network diagnostics company Ookla on March 19 to conduct a comprehensive survey of the town’s cellular coverage. The commission is slated to recommend the service at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting next month. The cost for the recommended survey is $32,500, though the commission will also bring forward an alternative Ookla option quoted at $25,500.
Likely around June, the company will drive 125 miles around the area to test and collect data on cellular service on both town and state roads throughout New Canaan.
Cell service has been a major complaint in town. In a survey conducted last fall for the town’s upcoming Plan of Conservation and Development, 60 percent of residents surveyed said they were concerned about cell service in New Canaan, the largest response of all quality of life issues. At least 36 percent reported it was a concern in their neighborhood, with east and west neighborhood residents ranking it their number one concern.
During the March 19 meeting, two utilities commission members said they had switched providers because they had so much difficulty with cell service.
“It is crazy to me, the difference in coverage,” said member Janee Hunter.
“I’m having a much better experience,” said member Christa Kenin of her own switch. “It’s not perfect, but it is certainly better.”
Expanding cell service, however, has been a contentious topic in town, with residents pushing back on a proposal to build a cell tower on Ponus Ridge near West Elementary School.
First Selectman Dionna Carlson said a cell service survey was essential for the town because of how outdated the maps have become.
In June while still in office, former first selectman Kevin Moynihan tried to bring forward two different companies to survey New Canaan, a baseline survey from VComm Telecommunications and a communitywide survey from Great Blue Research. However, the former Board of Selectmen tabled both indefinitely so the utilities commission could take up the issue instead, with some noting particular concerns around VComm.
Instead of V-Comm, which also presented a proposal on March 19, the utilities commission settled on recommending Ookla, which is best known for Speedtest, a program that lets users check their internet access performance metrics for free.
According to Ookla Wind Practice Leader Nikhil Gogate, the survey will cover four main providers: T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and FirstNet using eight Samsung Galaxy S23 phones, two per provider.
Four phones will cover how quickly a phone uploads, downloads and a ping test. The company will also run separate voice call tests at the same time to see if a phone call can actually make it through.
“If you look at the coverage map that is provided by the operators — and then many times these are simulated coverage maps based on propagation models — that map might tell you that there is enough coverage to make a call,” Gogate said. “In reality, that might not be the case, and that’s why instead of just saying, ‘Hey this coverage is maybe enough,’ we’re actually going to make a phone call and see if the call goes through.”
The commission also expressed interest in licensing technology from Ookla to conduct its own tests in the future, particularly to gauge how the town’s cell service is improving beyond the initial survey.
Commission chair Richard Townsend said the survey would provide a picture of town cell service now that can be used to gauge improvement.
“The question is how do we improve it and what things will improve it?” Townsend said. “I think dealing with that data and what different kinds of technologies overlaid on that data would be helpful, we’d know who to actually work with.”
Kenin said she had “a lot of faith and confidence” in Ookla’s services after speaking with representatives from Vermont — which shares similar characteristics as New Canaan — who have used both the initial Ookla service and licensing to continue self-testing.
Townsend suggested it could be easy enough that the town could recruit local high school volunteers or employees to help conduct tests at a later time.
“The trucks from the town drive the roads all the time and (DPW head) Tiger (Mann) would love to know where they are because they’re in dead spots and (town employees) can’t find them sometimes,” Townsend said.