AT&T customers in Altamont and East Berne get boost from new cell sites

— Photo from AT&T
A lineman installs a cell site.

ALBANY COUNTY — AT&T has established new cell sites in the East Berne hamlet and village of Altamont, which will expand coverage and improve connections for AT&T customers in those areas.

The telecommunications company has added 19 new sites in Albany County since 2019, according to a press release, including another one in Berne that was installed last year, as The Enterprise reported at the time.

Westerlo and Rensselaerville also had AT&T service enhanced. 

These sites, like the others, allow customers to access Band 14 through AT&T’s FirstNet program, which was designed for first responders following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Signals from Band 14 are more penetrative than other signals, allowing them to travel through walls more effectively. 

Although first responders have preferred use of FirstNet, AT&T allows regular consumers to use it when space allows. 

— Noah Zweifel

More Regional News

  • Three counties, led by Albany, hosted training for probation officers because the state’s schedul

  • When the government assesses need, it does so on a census-block by census-block basis, where if just one household in a block has broadband it means that block is “served,” in the eyes of the government. This puts rural communities at a disadvantage because their low population densities mean their blocks cover a larger geographic area.

  • Asked on Monday how many attended the tri-county fair, Canaday said, “If you don’t put the numbers in context, they don’t mean anything …. We’re happy with having a lot of happy people here on the fairgrounds. We have gotten some very, very positive feedback through social media. People had a wonderful time and can’t wait for next year. And that’s what we’re going to measure it by.”

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.