No phone coverage in Washington County community leaves residents "stranded"
People in Avella, Washington County, say they have no phone coverage.
The community is about 45 minutes south of Pittsburgh, and some people, including Blair Burkhart, rely on landlines because they do not get a cell phone signal. However, they say those are failing, too, leaving them with no way to call for help.
For Burkhart, his Verizon landline has been out since before Christmas.
"We've been out probably at least a month, and before that, it'd be out two weeks at a time," Burkhart said.
The Burkharts and about 25 neighboring families along Indian Camp Road call it a safety issue. Burkhart's 95-year-old mother lives alone down the road. And with the landline out, she can't use her Life Alert button.
"It's senior abuse them not taking care of it or maintaining it, but Verizon doesn't really seem to care," Burkhart said.
Burkhart's wife, Melinda, said it's the third or fourth time they've gone weeks without service, unable to even call 911. They did find a workaround.
"We got Starlink, so we have cell phone service through internet," Blair Burkhart said. "But my mother does not, and a lot of people out here don't. So, without a landline, you're stranded."
KDKA Investigates asked Verizon about repairs, and the company says it understands how critical landline service is, especially for elderly and rural customers. Verizon's engineers said targeted copper cable theft and vandalism, not equipment failure, are to blame.
Verizon called it "deliberate, dangerous acts that disrupt the digital lifeline of the community." The company said it's working with law enforcement to stop the thefts.
"It's going to be the cat and mouse game for a while until they come up with some other system or get internet or something out here," Melinda Burkhart said.
Pennsylvania State Police said this has not come across its troopers' desks yet. They are looking into it.