Cellphone coverage in Avenal

It suck in Avenal to have a cellphone no towers but here is maybe the start of them having coverage.
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Verizon request denied by local school district

File photo Crews are preparing to erect the communication tower at the Reef-Sunset Unified School District during this past spring break. The three towers in the district - next to the adult school, on top of the hill and at Kettleman City Elementary - are now completed and ready to be used to communicate with the county. Here district staff signs a section of the tower before it is put in place. (June 7, 2006)

The long awaited communication towers for the Reef-Sunset Unified School District are now completely installed and ready to be used for sending signals from Avenal to Kettleman City and to Hanford.

Along with use by the school district and Kings County, according to Business Manager, Michelle Cutillo, there are three vacant spots on the towers to be used for communication. She added that some spots, such as emergency communications, etc. were already taken

“The one in Kettleman has more spots,” she noted.

At the recent board meeting, Verizon Wireless had a request with the district to hold a spot on the tower for them for up to twelve months.

Along with the request was an offer from Verizon to pay the district $2,000 to hold that spot.

Cutillo told the board the county is recommending “that we not hold the spot.”

The county, according to Cutillo, is in negotiations with Cingular and Nextel for use of the tower, and if the spot were to be held for the $2,000 the district would be losing revenue.

The going rate is around $500 per month, Cutillo told the board.

With a denial, the county can go to Verizon and tell them the spot is being considered by other entities.

The board voted to deny Verizon’s request.

Arlene Santino

Editor

(June 7, 2006)