McCain Gets 'Secret' Verizon and AT&T Cell Service

Sam Gustin writes: Poor cell-phone service infuriates many Americans. Here's one way to improve your coverage: run for President.

Verizon and AT&T have both installed temporary -- but expensive -- cell-phone towers at John McCain's remote Sedona, AZ comound, after apparent prodding by the Secret Service.

The mobile towers -- which are generally used in temporary situations like the Super Bowl and hurricanes -- were installed after McCain's wife, Cindy, complained about their family's cell phone service, according to a report in the Washington Post.

Cindy McCain's complaints about the lack of coverage in the area -- which wouldn't be surprising in such a remote region -- predate McCain's ascension to Republican nominee for president. After he was nominated, the companies installed the coverage.

"You can't have a presidential nominee in an area where there is not cell coverage," AT&T spokeswoman Claudia B. Jones told the paper.

Will any of McCain's neighbors get to use these temporary towers? After all, there are plenty of places in rural America and out west that aren't covered, including throughout central and northern Arizona.

Answer: No, because he doesn't have any neighbors.The Oak Creek area by Sedona is an arid, largely uninhabited, high-desert region filled with ranches, canyons and cliffs. Close to the Grand Canyon, Sedona is often referred to as a new-age energy "vortex." Today, it is a retreat for many wealthy moguls seeking a desert hideaway from Wall Street, Washington and Holywood.

From the WaPo:

"It is a fairly sparsely populated in that pocket along Oak Creek," said Kathy Houchin, the Yavapai County permitting manager.

Three telecommunications specialists consulted by the Post said the proposed site covers so few users that it is unlikely to generate enough traffic to justify the investment. Robb Alarcon, an industry specialist who helps plan tower placement, said the proposed location appeared to be a "strategic build," free-of-charge coverage to high-priority customers. A former Verizon executive vice president, who asked not to be named because he worked for the company, agreed with Alarcon, saying, "It was a V.I.P. kind of thing."

Verizon spokesman Nelson declined to comment when asked if this had been considered to be a "strategic build."
 
Cindy McCain signed a contract with Verizon on May 6 (see document), granting free use of her property for a year in exchange for "the benefits of enhanced wireless communications arising from operation of the Facility."

Over Memorial Day, McCain hosted potential vice presidential running mates at the ranch, but the area still lacked coverage. Richard Klenner, then the wireless communications chief of the Secret Service, which had recently started providing protection, sent an e-mail to Verizon. "Is there any way of speeding up the process?" he asked, adding that he wanted Verizon to "explore every possible means of providing an alternative cellular or data communications source in the referenced area and provide any short-term implementation of any type as a solution in the interim."

 
Both Verizon and AT&T fall under McCain's oversight as a senior member of the Senate commerce committee. Several senior members of McCain's campaign have lobbied on behalf of the companies over the years, and McCain has been one of the top recipients of campaign money, including from senior executives.

Oh yeah, and he's running for president.

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Laura Rich is a co-founder of Recessionwire, which provides news, advice, perspective and humor about the recession and the recovery.