Can you hear me now? — Shelter Island cell phone service problems

If you speak to many people about making or receiving a call on Shelter Island, it’s very  likely you’ll hear — What’s with cellphone service on the Island?

Only two major carriers have transmitters on towers on the Island, but based on anecdotal information from residents in several neighborhoods, service is spotty at best even for cell customers of Verizon and AT&T, the two with transmitters.

T-Mobile customers are most outspoken about issues with connections; T-Mobile has no transmitters on the Island.

Outreach to the two of the three — T-Mobile and AT&T — has proven difficult despite listings of phone numbers for their corporate media relations departments. A Verizon representative has replied to a call about ways to boost service on Shelter Island.

Ilya Hemlin, a Verizon spokesman who provides support for the company’s media relations team and covers an area stretching from New England through Virginia, said he is already looking at possible causes and solutions to better service for Islanders.

Mr. Hemlin said there was a very brief loss of service because of a fiber cut that was fixed quickly. But he is looking at causes beyond a temporary problem that could be a result of something built on the Island that wasn’t there in the past but could be blocking signals.

Another possibility is over-capacity, something Silver Beach residents have suggested. Told the Island population swells in spring, summer and early fall months, Mr. Hemlin will look further at that situation.

In New Jersey beach areas with an expanding population in the summer, the company has been able to deploy additional assets to support service in warm weather months.

He promised to provide more information as his interaction with technical support engineers unveils the exact nature of the Island’s problems and solutions to address them.

In 2020, Shelter Island Fire Commissioners were able to gain support for a new tower at the Cobbetts Lane Firehouse. Commission Chairman Andy Reeve said that since its installation, firefighters have not encountered issues with calls to other fire departments requesting mutual aid.

Prior to the installation of that tower, which carries transmitters for Verizon and AT&T, concerns were raised about the inability to reach out to fire departments on the North and South forks for assistance in handling emergencies, especially in the Ram Island area.

Resident Pam Demarest, who lives in the area and uses Verizon, agreed that her phone service is fine. But she said workmen on her property with service from other carriers have reported difficulty with their calls at times.

Heights Property Owners Corporation General Manager Stella Lagudis said she has heard cell service is poor on the Island, but hasn’t had Heights residents voice complaints. The same is true in West Neck, where resident Lisa Shaw said as far as she knows, neighbors haven’t voiced concerns about cell service.

But making or receiving a call in Silver Beach is another story, where recently  residents have raised issues about what many have said is spotty cellphone service.

“Poor cell phone reception for all carriers does seem to be an issue for residents in Silver Beach,” said Doug Sherrod, president of the Silver Beach Association. He said the situation appears to have worsened in the past six months  “perhaps owing to the growth of seasonal residents and a consequent boost in call volume.”

He noted that Silver Beach is only a mile from the cell tower at the Recycling Center, “A seeming short distance for the technology.”

Some Silver Beach residents have been using devices to boost their cell service, such as resident Lan My Do, who confirmed that others in the neighborhood have been using Google Mesh, a Wi-Fi system that replaces the router and provides service throughout their houses. Using Google Mesh still requires an internet service provider and modem to connect to the internet.

Resident Sean Davy said town officials are aware of the problems in Silver Beach.

But Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams said she had not been informed by anyone from that neighborhood about growing problems with cellphone service, adding that they may have reached out to other Town Board members.

Deputy Supervisor Meg Larsen said she’s spoken to people over the years about issues with cellphone service, but nothing recently from Silver Beach residents. Nonetheless, Ms. Larsen said she’s aware of ongoing issues and thinks it’s worse during summer months when there’s high demand. She knows there are issues for T-Mobile users, but has also heard of problems for those with cell service through Verizon and AT&T.

Ms. Larsen is a Verizon customer, and had her own difficult experience last winter when she had no service when she tried to call 911 from the Shorewood area. She and Ms. Brach-Williams noted they’re still considering a request to join other East End municipalities working with CityScape Consultants to examine gaps in municipal wireless communications and to provide solutions.

What started out as a $50,000 cost drops to $28,700 if four towns signed up for the service, and $23,400 if five municipalities signed on together.

Each town would have its existing wireless service mapped to show where there are gaps in communication and would be guided to develop plans to fill those gaps. The process would consider several factors, including vegetation and heights that could be affecting wireless communications.

The Town says the money isn’t in the current budget. Ms. Brach-Williams has been exploring a smaller payment this year, with an increase in 2025.