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Wireless Internet Service
A friend of mine said that he got better wireless internet out by the Pinnacles last week than he does in Trona. He said videos played straight through without pause and that he could surf just like he was at home with a DSL connection. Typically I can't watch a video straight through here in Trona, but I can while I'm in Ridgecrest or in any other populated area. I don't understand why Verizon would provide better service to the Trona Pinnacles than it does to the town of Trona. Unless maybe some big movie companies complained and they matter more than the people in Trona to Verizon. It sure would be strange if that's the way Verizon does business.

I noticed last week that I had a really strong signal most of the way from Trona to Ridgecrest and back. I didn't think about it much, but come to think of it, it did seem to be working better than it does here in Trona. That would be pretty messed up if the signal is stronger around the Pinnacles than in town. I'd like someone from Verizon to explain why the Pinnacles are a higher priority than Trona to customers from Trona!

Smartphones in Trona are practically useless and unless you travel outside of town frequently I'd say don't waste your money. The signal is so weak that it's more frustration than it's worth to use a smartphone in town. They're nice to have most anywhere else though except for most of Nevada and other wide open areas where the population is sparse.

My experience is that cell service in Trona is inconsistent and getting websites to load is even worse. I don't have an explanation for the inconsistency. It doesn't seem to follow a pattern that I can detect. Verizon should probably self-monitor their service and provide partial refunds based on the percentage of time that service is unacceptably poor which would probably be about half the time. Of course, Verizon has no way of knowing which customers are in Trona at any particular time unless they happen to track customer location... which they most likely do!

This is kind of interesting:

I have a home in the rural high-desert area of California. The DSL offered was old Fujitsu frame-relay equipment. The equipment is failing and Verizon does’ not plan on repairing, replacing, or upgrading the equipment. So hundreds of people in the area are losing service. This shut down is an extremely difficult situation for those residents who have depended on the DSL service while working from home.

FULL LETTER:
http://forums.verizon.com/t5/High-Speed-Internet-DSL-and-Dial/Verizon-Shutting-Rural-DSL-Services-Down-FCC-Complaints/td-p/661165

It would be nice if the cell signals here were amplified and service upgraded to 4G. Service is so unreliable and poor around here that it's hardly worth having any kind of cell phone. But they do come in handy if you go down to LA or any other large city!

Some friends and I were talking about wireless service in this area and we all agreed that it was our experience that the service between Ridgecrest and Trona is better than the service in Trona. There are a few dead spots along the way, but only a few. Nobody lives in that area, but the service is better there for some reason. I'm not sure why an uninhabited area would have better service than an inhabited area. Unless lizards are using smartphones and paying for wireless service, I'm not sure why this situation exists!.

I agree with everyone else here. The internet I get on my phone here in Trona sucks. When I'm in Ridgecrest it's actually pretty good. Even in Lone Pine it works just fine and I've I go down to the Lancaster or Victorville area it works even better. We're getting ripped off here in Trona. Verizon should at least give us a discount!

You're Getting Raped by AT&T and Verizon, Says T-Mobile CEO
Verizon and AT&T really do over-charge, but T-Mobile isn't that much better of a deal. However, it is possible to say that competition from T-Mobile has forced the other two major carriers to drop prices a tiny bit.

Everyone expected some f-bombs from Legere, but the following quote is extreme. Speaking about AT&T and Verizon, the two largest carriers in the U.S. by a wide margin, Legere said: "These high and mighty duopolists that are raping you for every penny you have ... they fucking hate you."