Since early September, residents of Longmont, Niwot, and much of Boulder County have lost reliable cell service. Calls drop, data fails, and some neighborhoods have become complete dead zones.

This wasn't caused by a storm or an equipment failure. AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile were required to turn down their signals to comply with limits protecting the Table Mountain Radio Quiet Zone, a federal research site north of Boulder. More than 100 residents have already filed complaints with the FCC.

Reliable cell service is a public safety issue. People need to reach 911, and parents need to reach their kids. Many people work from home, and some rely on phone-based medical alerts. Tens of thousands of people shouldn't lose that because rules written decades ago never anticipated modern cellular networks.

We respect the research done at Table Mountain, but it can't come at the expense of the communities around it. We call on NTIA, the Department of Commerce, and the FCC to:

Restore service immediately by granting the carriers interim relief while a permanent solution is found.
Modernize the quiet zone's limits so that commercial cellular frequencies can operate at normal levels in populated areas.
Relocate or close the quiet zone if the research can't coexist with modern cell service in one of Colorado's fastest-growing regions.
Hold public meetings in Boulder County so residents can hear directly from NTIA and the carriers.

Sign if your cell service has been affected, and share your experience in the comments.