‘In General, AT&T Service Is Unreliable, Especially in a Disaster,’ Says Letter to the Editor

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att outage map

AT&T outage map from Downdetector on October 9 during the wildfires.

In general, AT&T service is unreliable, especially in a disaster when it is needed most… and not always because it needs to be. Because of that I have sent a letter to our state representatives and representative in Congress that reads thus:

Thank you for all you have done during this incredible year of fire and tragedy. Your efforts are greatly appreciated, even by us who were not in the immediate area.

I would like to bring your attention to another far reaching issue these fires brought, once again, to the forefront here on the North Coast. AT&T service went down, cell, landline, and internet. Local county offices and even 911 were impacted. Many businesses could not use credit cards and could only take cash, but even the online banking services and banks themselves were impacted, making access to funds difficult.

We on the North Coast could patiently accept this as an inconvenient by-product of the much greater disaster of the fires except for the fact that a redundant east/west fiber optic line exists and, despite promises years ago to buy into it, AT&T has not invested in it. Or they did and are not providing access.

Pressure from customers and local government has had not produced a result. Perhaps there is something you, our legislators, can do to help influence them to make good on their promises.

Dottie Simmons

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35 Comments
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Guest
Guest
Guest
6 years ago

AT&T is failing to maintain landlines too. For years I went through the same fiasco where my landline stopped working a couple of times a year. In fact I got my first cell phone so I could call them conveniently when it happened.

They then sent a repairman who switched the line to another piece of failing equipment so it immediately failed again. Sometimes a third time.

I think they are in the business of getting out of business in Humboldt Co. I certainly got rid of a headache when I got rid of them.

MegaCorporate BS for sure.
Guest
MegaCorporate BS for sure.
6 years ago

I’m not saying fires didn’t take out service this last time, but I’m 100% sure AT&T is lying over half the time they have interruptions and blame it on cut cables. It’s an easy out for all kinds of things on their part, to simply blame third party vandals for their own malfunctions.

Andrew
Guest
Andrew
6 years ago

Spot on. It’s so unreliable, it’s almost like it’s on purpose, like somebody doesn’t want rural counties like Humboldt to have reliable communication.

D.F.P.
Guest
D.F.P.
6 years ago

That was actually Suddenlink that had the outage and blamed vandals. kym wrote the article https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2013/mar/12/suddenlink-vandalized-again/

Vicki
Guest
Vicki
6 years ago

That was nicely worded.

G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
6 years ago

We were sick of the unreliable service as well.we have nothing to do with att,ever again!! We’ve been so happy for over 20 years with our provider. Only once have we lost Internet and it lasted 1 hour.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Hatin ATT even more
Guest
Hatin ATT even more
6 years ago

Their ceo makes $1,930/hour. Thats without all the perks, just salary.

How do we get rid of them in general??? Crappy cel and customer service on top of cutting corners at our expense.
Do we really havta go protest their headquarters after paying 5.7 mil in rax money for this line alone?????
Maybe we need to organize some skool busses full of people to go camp out in front of ceo’s house, thats worked in the past to get the msg out there.
I dont know about y’all but im friggin sick of spending money for services i dont get.

I bet with 5.7 million to use, some crafty grad students at hsu could figure out a working system.
Corporations cutting costs at our demise, over and over. This is not a partisan issue, its a human rights issue.
Look at puerto rico, thats our future, drinking water from superfund toxified sites to survive. Maybe those internet ballons would be better here than fiber optic cable. I remember people warning against putting all the lines in one cable, but all ATT saw was dollar signs thru backroom buddy deals.

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
6 years ago

*School Buses

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
6 years ago

Our tax dollars paid for the Fiber Optic line across the road from my house here in Swain’s Flat!!! Which I’m not allowed usage of because it’s a “Redundant Backup line, which AT&T has yet to make use of even though they promised to & were legally supposed to long ago!!! AT& T sux a very large very green one!!!

Mobius Dancer
Guest
Mobius Dancer
6 years ago

I’ve decided to switch to Verizon. My AT&T service will be down and someone with Verizon will still have service. This has happened often enough in the past six months that the next time it happens my next trip to E’ka will change it over. The market still offers options and AT&T will begin to notice it if he migrate away from paying them.

Just sayin...
Guest
Just sayin...
6 years ago
Reply to  Mobius Dancer

We have Verizon cell service in Miranda and it’s great, 4G and all…except when AT&T goes down, our cell service goes as well. I’m not sure why but it happens every time.

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
6 years ago
Reply to  Just sayin...

The only carrier that my son’s phone could find a signal from out here on Hwy 36 was Verizon!!!

LynnMae
Guest
LynnMae
6 years ago
Reply to  Mobius Dancer

Walmart sells Verizon phones & plans, you can do the research before you go to Eureka.

tired of all this
Guest
tired of all this
6 years ago
Reply to  LynnMae

Verizon has been my cell provider for 18 years and except for the cost, which is about double U.S.Cellular, it is excellent. Customer service has always been helpful & my phone/device works EVERYWHERE.

Cy
Guest
Cy
6 years ago

I finally switched to Suddenlink for internet service because ATT was just too frustratingly unreliable and slow to justify continuing to give them money and I told them that when I canceled. My ATT service not only suffered the outages mentioned above but the damn thing would reset at least once a day and usually right in the middle of trying to get something done. I had stayed with them for years because I really, really, dislike Suddenlink’s business practices and their overtly aggressive and misleading marketing. But there really aren’t any other choices in this area aside from using the cell phone as a hotspot.

TC
Guest
TC
6 years ago

I think if you dont like AT&T then dont use it…simple..

tired of all this
Guest
tired of all this
6 years ago
Reply to  TC

That sounds nice…but AT&T is the only landline provider along the Avenue. They won’t let us use the fiber optic cable though😠

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
6 years ago

Same kind of S(h)ituation up here on Hwy 36 also!!! Not to mention Satellite ISP or Dial Up since I CAN’T have access to the Fiber Optic Line, literally just across the road from my house!!!

Andrew
Guest
Andrew
6 years ago

Why hasn’t the county switched from AT&T to sudenlink yet?

Sudenlink has worked without 1 fail for almost 20 years; whereas AT&T goes down
more than it should.

Steve
Guest
Steve
6 years ago
Reply to  Andrew

Now your talking shit,I had sudden fail for the last two years they may not of had it cut or burned but they have two people doing maintenance, out laying areas didn’t get problems fixed let alone addressed fuck suddenfail…

Noneya
Guest
Noneya
6 years ago
Reply to  Andrew

Got lured in to AT&T service through Directv. Never again. They opened 4 accounts for me, I don’t know why. Took my monthly payments and gave me a huge credit on 1 account and sent me to collections for the other 3. Took me hours on the phone to get it cleared up and cancelled. Reported them to the BBB and got Suddenlink. Soooo fast and never had a hiccup in 8 years.

HOGRANCH
Guest
HOGRANCH
6 years ago

YOU WILL GET NO ACTION FROM THESE SCOFFLAWS IVE CALLED THE PUC. THEY ARE IN BED WITH THE PHONE COMPANYS, TRY IT FOR YOURSELF. BUT IF WE ALL GET TOGETHER AND WITHHOLD OUR MONEY, FROM THESE UNSCROUPULESS PROVIDERS OF PHONE SERVICE. WETHER IT IS FRONTIER AT&T VERIZON. THERE CONTRACT WITH YOU IS FOR 30 DAYS, MISS ONE DAY, CONTRACT IS BROKEN, DO NOT REMIT A PAYMENT. EVERYTIME IT RAINS OUR PHONES GO OUT. TYME TO FIGHT BACK.

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
6 years ago
Reply to  HOGRANCH

What did you say??? I couldn’t understand it with you shouting every word!!!

Tired
Guest
Tired
6 years ago

The people versus AT&T lobbyists? Who do you think is going to win? What world do you live in?

The only way to force change is to make them feel the pain of customers switching to the only other best option in the North Coast – Suddenly Unlinked – Suddenlink.

HOGRANCH
Guest
HOGRANCH
6 years ago
Reply to  Tired

THE SAME AS THE WORLD YOU LIVE IN, IF YOU DONT WANT TO TRY TO FORCE THESE GIANT COMPANYS, TO MAKE IT RIGHT, THEN SIT ON A STUMP AND WHINE ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS WRONG, BUT WITHOUT TRYING YOU WILL YOU WILL REMAIN ON THE STUMP SNIVELING, LIVING OUT HERE AS A KID, WE HAD WHOOP AN HOLLER PHONES, THE ONLY TIME THEY BROKE IS WHEN A TREE FELL AN BROKE THE SINGLE WIRE. THE WHOLE SYSTEM WAS A , GIANT PARTY LINE, BUT IT WORKED. ONLY ONE STEP ABOVE A STRING BETWEEN 2 TIN CANS. THEY CAN TALK TO THE ROVER ON MARS BUT YOU CANT CALL YOUR NEIGHBOR. WHATS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? START SQUEALIN!

Me_too
Guest
Me_too
6 years ago
Reply to  HOGRANCH

Stop yelling gramps!!!!

onrust8
Guest
onrust8
6 years ago

Back in the dark ages, the early seventies, there was a bumper sticker for that. It featured a blue bell on the left side with the words, “We don’t care, we don’t have to”. It was about ATT and it was factually correct if not grammatically so. A few years later, ATT was broken up and all the baby bells as they were called were formed. We finally had some choice and consequently service options opened up and prices went down. Republicans, however, could not stand the breaking up of a giant, corporate monopoly and allowed it to re-create itself about 20 years later, the ATT we have now. They still don’t care. They don’t have to.

Guest
Guest
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  onrust8

The anti trust lawsuit that broke up AT&T was filed by the DOJ under Gerald Ford after Nixon’s administration organized it. The actual break up was under Regan.

The reconsolidation of AT&T was started with Bill Clinton signing the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Want to re-spin the break up into a bad thing that the greedy Republicans did? But you don’t have to.

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
6 years ago
Reply to  onrust8

Exactly right , er, Correct!!!

It's a Farce
Guest
It's a Farce
6 years ago

I use Suddenlink and I use US Cellular. I did not have any disruption in service whatsoever.

G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
6 years ago

We have been with u.s. cellular for 25 plus never had a problem,hiccup or down time. We get the best service EVERYWHERE! I mean everywhere we go. Thanks U.S Cellular for keeping us in touch!!

G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
6 years ago

We have been with u.s. cellular for 25 plus never had a problem,hiccup or down time. We get the best service EVERYWHERE! I mean everywhere we go. Thanks U.S Cellular for keeping us in touch!! I was pissed when att got their fuckin hands in direct t.v.’s business. I have a very bad taste in my mouth when I pay my bill. I DON’T LIKE ATT,they suck and treat their customers like shit!!🖓🖓🖓🖓

RockinW
Guest
RockinW
6 years ago

I filed a complaint with the FCC. Easy to do online. I actually got a call from someone at AT&T in the office of their president. I tried my very best to explain the situation, but I think flooding the FCC with complaints will get that greedy company to actually pay for the redundant fiber that is in place!