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Cape Cod fire chief tells committee that dead zones hampered emergency response; lawmakers urged to act on cellular coverage
Summary
Representative Luddy and Orleans Fire Chief Jeff Dearing described a propane‑leak emergency where poor cell service prevented reverse‑911 and hampered coordination, and they asked the committee to direct the Department of Telecommunications and Cable to work with carriers to fix coverage gaps.
Representative Dylan Luddy described widespread cellphone coverage gaps on Cape Cod that intensify during the summer population surge and called on the committee to pursue a bill directing the Department of Telecommunications and Cable to work with carriers to identify and remedy coverage shortfalls.
Orleans Fire Chief Jeff Dearing recounted that during a propane‑leak response on Aug. 1 his department was unable to send texts, make calls or issue reverse‑911 messages because Verizon service failed at the incident site. He said the team required the state hazardous materials unit and an out‑of‑state propane specialist, and that poor connectivity delayed coordination and added complexity to a response that took nearly 12 hours to resolve.
Witnesses asked the committee to move the measure so that residents and first responders across Cape Cod have reliable cellular coverage for daily life and emergency communications.
