“We’ve been here in rural towns, and we haven’t had cell coverage or broadband for the most part,” Smith said. Today, no obligation exists for cellphone providers to extend their service into rural areas. Smith told HuffPost that, during the storm, local phone lines were demolished. The state of Vermont has attempted to develop programs to improve cell service, yet some of those attempts have already failed. Smith told HuffPost, “I think it needs to happen on the federal level, not just the state level, because of the internet connection.

Source: Huffington Post April 16, 2019 12:56 UTC