One of New York City’s top cell phone service carriers, Verizon, responded to Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder’s (D-Rockaway) letter urging them to begin a dialogue with the community and create stronger infrastructure and contingency plans for another potential disaster in vulnerable areas of southern Queens and Rockaway Post-Sandy.

“Following Superstorm Sandy, in addition to the physical destruction, thousands across Southern Queens and Rockaway were left without cellular service or means of communication,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “I applaud Verizon for listening to our concerns and taking the initial steps to ensure our families are able to communicate in the wake of disaster.”

Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder invited local community leaders to his district office to hear firsthand on the changes and upgrades Verizon has made to their network after the storm.

“After meeting with such a fine team of representatives from Verizon, it does seem they are on the right track in case of another storm like Sandy,” said Danny Ruscillo, President of the 100th Precinct Community Council. “At the meeting we discussed community outreach initiatives, more generators, better capacity and network growth, emergency backup power, fuel training operations and much more. These are the things which will improve our communication that is so vital when it comes to any disaster anywhere. I want to thank our Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder for putting this very important meeting together and who cares so much for our community.”

Earlier this year, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder sent a letter to the biggest cell phone providers throughout New York City, including, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint asking for updates on their upgrades, resiliency measures and future storm contingency plans. In his letter, Goldfeder invited companies to meet with the community to discuss their upgrades and requested each company announce the changes they have made, post-Sandy, to prepare for future emergencies and how they intend to help customers in the wake of another disaster. Last month, Assemblyman Goldfeder also met with AT&T.

“We have been through enough after Superstorm Sandy and cannot wait for another disaster to take action,” concluded Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “I look forward to working with Verizon and other companies to ensure the lines of communication remain open during any potential future storms.”

(YWN Desk – NYC)