A new AT&T cellular tower is now in Fulton, providing increased coverage and FirstNet for local first responders.
The announcement was made yesterday at an event at the Callaway County amublance district station. Craig Unruh, president of AT&T-Missouri, announced the newest tower in the county.
This new tower is located on the east side of Fulton near Morningside Park. Unruh said this is the 25th tower built in the past two years in the 3rd Congressional District of Missouri.
Over 200 wireless towers have been built in rural Missouri in the past two years, Unruh said. Two billion dollars have been invested in AT&T's network in Missouri over the past three years, he added.
Senator Travis Fitzwater spoke at the event. He said broadband issues and the expansion of broadband across rural Missouri has been a big focus in the legislature.
"From a state perspective I can just tell you that broadband issues and broadband expansion and expenditures and funding, all those things have been massive priorities in the legislature because we realized how important it is to expand those opportunities," Fitzwater said.
Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer spoke about his experiences growing up and living in a rural town with little broadband connection.
"Continuing to improve the services is fantastic," Luetkemeyer said.
Unruh said the COVID-19 pandemic really made it clear how important broadband is in rural communities. He said it is necessary to have internet connectivity to not fall behind in the modern society.
He said the expansion to rural communities will both enhance weak signals and enhance the network capacity.
Unruh said the broadband expansion across Missouri is a constantly ongoing process. Building new towers, adding network capacity to existing towers and upgrading the towers with the latest technology are all aspects of the expansion that are considered, he said.
Area coverage also includes FirstNet, which Unruh described as the nation's broadband public safety network.
"For those not familiar with FirstNet, it's the only communications platform built by and for and with public safety, based on their direct feedback and their needs," Unruh said.
FirstNet is also available to select community members important to emergency response, such as medical professionals and utility companies.
FirstNet is organized through the First Responder Network Authority. This is a congressionally designated agency that was created after first responders had trouble communicating during 9/11, Unruh said.