- Published: Friday, January 18, 2019 04:00 PM
MOUNT CLARE – Macoupin County residents could see a vast improvement in their cellular service by June, local officials learned today.
State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill), along with local mayors and Macoupin County Sheriff Shawn Kahl, joined AT&T representatives near Mount Clare this morning at a cell tower construction site to get an update on the project.
Macoupin County has been plagued by poor cellular service, and residents’ grassroots campaign to address the matter resulted in AT&T building two new cell towers – one near Mount Clare and the other on the north side of Medora. Construction is underway on both towers.
Manar, who worked with AT&T to find a resolution to the problem, said a recent town hall meeting about bad and nonexistent cell service in the southern part of the county resulted in a positive discussion that led to a positive outcome.
“We all know the challenges because we live here,” Manar said. “Having AT&T make this investment in the area means a lot.”
The new towers will be 5G capable, which means that Macoupin County users will have access to state-of-the-art cellular technology when it becomes available to the area.
Manar commended area resident Gerald Brand for his efforts to work with AT&T and local residents to address the issues. Brand started a Facebook group called Macoupin County AT&T Users Forum, which currently has more than 3,000 members who use the site to share information about dropped calls, service interruptions and how to report problems.
