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Verizon Set to Switch Service to New North County Tower

The new cell tower in early February shortly after it was erected. It replaces to older ones that collapsed on March 30, 2014.

Update 10 a.m. on April 18: Verizon has completed its transfer to the new permanent tower on the Western Summit.

"The cutover from our temporary tower to the new permanent one is now complete," executive director for Network for Verizon Wireless Rich Enright said in a statement. "The process went according to plan and the Verizon Network Team will closely monitor it to ensure everything continues to work properly."

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Verizon customers should be back to normal on Saturday morning once its service is switched to the new tower.

Mayor Richard Alcombright, in a statement released on Facebook and to media, said customers will see a disruption in service beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday as the new antenna goes online.

North County communications were disrupted just over a year ago when high winds took down two radio towers on top of the Western Summit.

Described as a "catastrophic failure" at the time, the collapse cut emergency communications as well as cell service for Verizon and other wireless providers. The loss was a particular blow to North County, coming just two days after the closure of North Adams Regional Hospital.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.