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Remote Montana area losing cell phone service

The only source of telephone communication for residents in a remote area northeast of Wilsall will be cut off starting Sept. 30.

Twenty-two phones belonging to area residents will lose their dial tones after Alltel Wireless eliminates its analog service.

There are no land lines established in the area.

By Amy Learn, Enterprise Staff Writer

Among the residents are Ron and Jan Hartman, who have been relying on cellular analog service as their source of communication.

“Analog is not as profitable,” Jan Hartman said.

According to Alltel spokesman Scott Morris, the Federal Communication Commission said that as of Feb. 18, cell phone providers no longer had to offer analog service.

All providers were required to give analog users first a four-month notice of the pending change, and then an extra 30-day notice.

Most other cellular providers dropped analog from their services as soon as they could. Alltel is discontinuing its analog service in the U.S. in three stages, Montana being in the last stage, Morris said.

In switching to strictly digital service, cell phone providers will be able to offer a more advanced system, Morris said.

The Hartmans said they have been working on the issue since February, hoping to maintain phone service.

Their concerns on the pending phone service loss is more than just local — they are worried about all Western rural areas that are in the same situation, Ron Hartman said.

The couple has been in contact with representatives of Alltel and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., to find a solution.

“Everyone has been cooperative — yet, no action has been taken,” Jan Hartman said.

According to Baucus’ office, the senator is working with the Department of Justice, the FCC and local telecommunication corporations to find solutions for rural Montana areas facing the problem.

The senator wants to ensure no one in Montana is left behind by technological advancements, a Baucus spokesman said.

The Hartmans have been exploring options, such as satellite phones, new digital equipment, even installing land lines. However, nothing has panned out as a fix.

New digital equipment Alltel gave them to test has not been successful, Ron Hartman said.

“The new digital (signal) is just not strong enough,” Jan Hartman said.

If residents resort to a satellite phone, they would have only certain times during the day they could call out or receive calls. A person could not rely on a satellite phone for an emergency situation, Ron Hartman said.

The phone company said it would bring land lines into the area at the resident’s expense, he said.

Creating a land line in the area would cost anywhere from $50,000 to $75,000, he said.

Alltel plans to continue working with the Hartmans and the other residents, testing out different devices until a solution is discovered, Morris said, and that the company will try and leave the analog signal in the area until the problem is resolved.

The idea of installing a digital tower in the remote area, allowing the signal to reach residents, is something Alltel will consider, Morris said. The decision will be based on whether it would be feasible to build the tower with such a small number of people living there.

Only five people live in the area year-round, but those five rely on their phones for contact with the outside, and during emergency situations, it is their lifeline, Ron Hartman said.

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