Those Mountain residents who use AT&T for their cell phones can celebrate
the completion of a new AT&T cell phone tower near the intersection of Hwy.

26 and Salmon River Road on Hoodland Fire District property. The tower
offers speeds up to 4G, but its coverage area and the strength of signal in
various locations is not a constant.

“It’s difficult to give you exact coverage statistics because there are many
variables,” wrote Marianne Bichsel, spokesperson for AT&T, in an email. “For
instance, there may (be) adjustments made at the site and the loading of the
system will vary. For these reasons any specifics today may not be the same
this winter or next summer.”

Mic Eby, Fire Chief for the HFD, has noticed a difference in coverage, including
up Highway 26 between Rhododendron and Government Camp. In the past,
Eby noted, his signal would stop around the Tollgate Campground and not
return until Government Camp, but now there are only “a couple holes.”

“It’s not a clear shot all the way up, but you go another 100 yards (on the
highway) and pick it up,” Eby said. “It’ll make a difference in the wintertime
when there are auto accidents up there and they can call it in.”

Eby added the new tower has already made a difference for a couple calls up
Lolo Pass, when firefighters have not had to use a radio, as they have had to
in the past, but used their phones instead.

The HFD receives $500 per month for having the tower on its property as part
of a lease agreement, according to Eby. He added the money will go toward
adding equipment for the district’s paging system and emergency
communications to the tower, but it will likely take up to eight months before
enough money is collected to do so.

“I don’t want it to cost taxpayers any money,” Eby said. “I want it to pay for
itself all the way.”

Bichsel noted that no other carriers have applied to “co-locate” on the tower,
which is not uncommon. But with the location there will probably be
applications.