BUFFALO, N.Y. — There are parts of South Buffalo where cell phone service completely drops. Neighbors in the area have been wanting a solution for a while now and they're finally getting one.
Charles and Mary Moore say they've been dealing with the dead zones for as long as they can remember.
"There are people in the neighborhood, us included, we have to go to certain parts of the house. My neighbor has to go outside and walk down the street to make his phone calls. It's relatively common," Charles Moore said.
"My daughter will call me on the landline because she knows I can't get the reception at home," Mary Moore said.
According to Buffalo Common Councilmember Chris Scanlon, Verizon will be installing a new cell phone tower on top of Mercy Hospital in mid-June to address the issue.
Mercy Hospital sent 2 On Your Side this statement:
"Existing cell phone towers are in place at Mercy Hospital and other Catholic Health hospitals. Hospitals situated in neighborhoods tend to be ideal locations for cell phone towers due to the buildings' height, line of sight, space, and access.
While current cell phone service has not been an issue within the Abbott Road facility, Mercy Hospital is pleased to be a part of this project, which will improve cell phone service and communication for our neighbors in the surrounding community."
"The dead zone does range for a few blocks on Abbott Road and spreading both east and west from Abbott Road for a block two so it's my understanding and based on those conversations that the entire zone will be covered with better coverage," Scanlon said.
Scanlon says residents along Abbott Road first reached out to him about a year ago, and he wrote a letter to Verizon after experiencing the same issue they do.
"If I'm driving just two or three blocks from my home down Abbott Road, you see it start to kick in and my car will drop," Scanlon said.
Charles and Mary Moore are hopeful the cell tower will fix the problem once and for all.
"It should. We hope so," they said.
"The site will be 4G and 5G," said Andrew Testa, a spokesperson for Verizon. "It will improve calling, texting, being able to download things faster, and really allow folks to use their phones better than ever."