A spokesman for cell phone service provider Alaska Communication Systems said this Tuesday the company is aware of problems with service for its customers outside of the Haines townsite, and is “working hard to get it resolved as soon as possible.”
The problem with the signal started when a helicopter blade cut off part of an antenna on a local tower, said Eric Lazo, ACS vice president of marketing and product management.
Customers along Mud Bay Road say they’ve been without service since Feb. 28. Some highway residents this week reported a similar problem, with service limited to occasional texting.
“We used to get three bars, and we don’t get anything now. Zip. There’s no signal at all,” said resident Mark Battaion, who lives across Mud Bay. Battaion said his wife telecommutes for her job as curriculum director for Lake and Peninsula School District.
She has been going into town to make calls, or to a neighbor’s house to borrow a phone, he said. “I want to know when it will be resolved. I want some sort of a timeline.”
Lazo was unable to provide a timeline for repairs this week, but said he’s working on getting the necessary equipment, which will get shipped to Haines along with a technician who will scale the tower and make the fix.
Battaion and other residents said they were frustrated by a lack of response from the company and that neighbors with other cell providers were not experiencing problems.