If you take a drive just 20 minutes north of Lethbridge, there’s a good chance you’ll lose cell service.
It’s a problem that residents in the Town of Picture Butte have been faced with for years, and more and more people are becoming frustrated with the lack of coverage in the area.
Mayor Cathy Moore shares that sentiment but says there’s not much council can do about it.
“What we’re telling our people is you have to phone your cell phone provider and complain to them,” explained Moore. “The town will be an advocate for them, however we have no control over it so we need our people to call their providers, and just complain.”
Those interrupted services can be especially problematic for entrepreneurs.
As Picture Butte & District Chamber of Commerce, president Eva Penner says businesses are struggling without a strong connection.
“When they have things like a POS machine that they are relying on for Interac and credit cards, and those things are not going through,” said Penner. “One, they get extra charges from their credit card companies but also the business owners get frustrated with not having those available.”
According to Penner, these problems aren’t specific to Picture Butte.
“We find when you get out into the communities of Nobleford, Iron Springs, Turin, even some of those communities we’re really struggling with,” said Penner.
Mayor Moore adds they’ve reached out to different providers about the service troubles, adding there may be glimmer of hope for Rogers customers in the near future.
“Rogers has come to the plate and said we are going to put boosters up on top of Fortis’s lines and they are going to start doing that next year.”
In a statement to Global News, Rogers said: “We understand the importance of reliable connectivity for Canadians. As part of our ongoing work to improve and enhance our 5g network across Alberta, we are currently working with the town to improve wireless coverage in the area.”
Coverage that can’t come soon enough, for those in the town.