In light of poor cell phone coverage in certain areas on campus, this board urges the University to pursue potential solutions, including the addition of more cell phone repeaters around campus.

Earlier this week, the Justice released an informal survey on Facebook to gauge student experience with cell phone coverage across campus. While the survey was not intended to provide conclusive or definitively representative results, it did indicate a general theme of dissatisfaction and experience of dead zones across campus.

Out of 122 responses, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon were the most reported service providers. Across the board, respondents from all three of these companies reported that Sherman Dining Hall and Usdan Student Center are frequent spots for dropped calls and spotty reception.

Verizon respondents also reported Massell and Rosenthal Quads as low-coverage zones, while many T-Mobile users wrote that their phones frequently do not have coverage indoors in general. Moreover, 44 percent of all respondents rated their service a one or two out of five.

As one AT&T respondent wrote, “Thank god for wifi.” This is a sentiment the University’s Chief Information Officer, Jim La Creta, echoed in a March 28 email to the Justice. La Creta wrote that students who have coverage issues in certain areas on campus should consider using Wi-Fi calling, which all three of the aforementioned service providers allow on supported devices. Eduroam does not block Wi-Fi calling, and the solution is generally accessible on campus.

This board recognizes that Wi-Fi calling is a simple solution, but relying on Wi-Fi calling alone without attempting to provide solutions for poor cell phone coverage overlooks a greater opportunity for the University to pursue technological advancement. Although Wi-Fi calling is broadly accessible, it is only of use to those with phones that support it. For students with older phones or non-smartphones, reliable coverage is still not a guarantee in some parts of this campus, even with Wi-Fi calling.

This might create issues for students who need to make or receive emergency calls while in a dead zone, in the event of medical or family emergency, for example.

La Creta wrote in his email that cell repeaters — which boost signal — are installed on campus on a limited department-by-department basis. Moreover, this installation is not part of any service offered by Library and Technology Services, he wrote, meaning LTS, the body that would best directly oversee cell phone coverage on campus, is not involved in the process.

This board recommends that the University consider adding more cell repeaters on campus, focusing specifically on frequent dead zones like Sherman Dining Hall, Usdan Student Center and certain quads on lower campus. This work would best be accomplished through cooperation between departments and LTS, guided by student input.

This board believes that these updates will ease community members’ frustration with cell phone coverage on campus, allowing students, staff and faculty alike to make calls with greater ease.