Power of the Press [AT&T edition]

Late last week, the newsroom was tipped off, by several angry residents in Putney, that their cell service (provided by AT&T) had been reduced. That is to say that in areas where they were used to having full bars, they now had none; and where they were once on AT&T's network they were now roaming.

And, as it turns out, AT&T were unwilling to help these folks and unwilling to speak to us for a story on the topic.

Once the story ran, in last weekend's Reformer, Gov. Shumlin took notice and, less than a week later, full service was restored to those affected.

Here's a letter we received on the matter:

"Thanks in large measure to Howard Weiss-Tisman’s coverage of the
issue, AT&T cell service has returned to a large swath of Putney.
Howard’s thorough research took him from those affected to the Public
Service Commission and eventually to Governor Peter Shumlin’s office.
Three cheers for our state government, the folks at the AT&T Store in
Keene, N.H., who tried to get the message up through the corporate
hierarchy and Putney citizens Beckie Coffey and Libby McCawley who
united the dozens of affected Putney residents.

"We’re grateful that the forces marshaled by Howard’s article
convinced the corporation to fulfill its responsibility to its
customers.

"It’s good to know that local newspapers still have the power to right
wrongs."

This just goes to show how important your local daily newspaper can still be ....