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The North Central Municipal Association (NCMA) Board of Directors expressed concern about cuts to Telus analog cell phone service around Northern BC. The NCMA plans to pursue the issue with Telus and the federal and provincial governments.
“We are very concerned about the loss of service in our region”, says NCMA President Murry Krause. “It is important to note that these residents are not asking for a new service, they have had analog cell phone coverage for many years and now it is being taken away from them. Unfortunately analog cell phones are the only means of phone communication that many residents have in the north, and at this time it does not appear that residents are being offered any other options.“
“We are trying to work with Telus to resolve this issue,” says Karen Goodings, Chair of the Peace River Regional District. “The NCMA Board has requested a meeting with senior Telus representatives to discuss its concerns. We have had unreliable and intermittent cell phone coverage across the North for many years, which is frustrating to say the least, but it is also a safety issue when travelling the highways especially during the winter months. To have it completely eliminated from some areas with no option to access digital service is simply unacceptable”.
Members of the NCMA Executive are in agreement that residents affected by the cuts to service need to be provided an affordable, reliable option. They are asking all residents who are affected by the cuts to analog cell phone or EARS (Exchange Area Radiotelephone Service) to contact their office by Sept. 30th and have their name included on a list that will be forwarded to Telus.
“It is important that we determine exactly how many residents in the North Central Region are affected,” says NCMA President Murry Krause. “We specifically want to hear from those residents who have no option other than analog or EARS service.”
The NCMA office can be reached at 250-564-6585 or via email at [email protected]
NCMA will be sending letters expressing its concern to Telus, the CRTC, Industry Canada, and to Premier Gordon Campbell, the Minister of Citizen’s Services and to all Northern MLA’s.
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