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Verizon, AT&T say cell network back up after Sandy

Verizon and AT&T say their wireless networks are fully operational after Hurricane Sandy blew into the New York and New Jersey on Oct. 29th – more from WAMC’s Dave Lucas

Verizon says its network is at pre-storm levels, while AT&T says its network is “back to normal”…

Federal regulators said Sandy knocked about 25 percent of cell towers belonging to all carriers in a coastal area spread over parts of 10 states.

Verizon appeared to do better than average, saying that 6 percent of its towers were out of action immediately after the storm. AT&T and T-Mobile USA joined in an "unprecedented" arrangement, letting their customers roam for free on both networks to make up for gaps in coverage due to blacked-out cell towers.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.