Have you ever had issues with your phone signal while on the beach in Port Aransas? If you have, chances are—you are not alone. It's common for beachgoers to experience bad phone service on the beach when it gets crowded.
“I have. Whether it’s connecting to music or trying to just get in contact with one another, we’re just kind of bouncing around and things are not going through, unfortunately," Makayla Steinberg, a Spring break visitor said.
The lack of phone service on the beach can even cause issues for people who don't experience it themselves.
“So, I haven’t. But because I haven’t, all of my friends who have, have been using my phone," Ryan Delalcazar, a Spring break visitor, said.
About two years ago, the city of Port Aransas and the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau conducted a survey to study the signal across the city.
“As a result of the survey, we found out things were pretty horrible. They were pathetic in many cases. It was lack of service, no service, even some of our first responders had some issues," Brett Stawar, CEO and President of Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau said.
Chamber of Commerce and city leaders decided it was time to act, especially in the event of an emergency at the beach.
“It’s not like we know anyone or anywhere out here; the only thing that we could do is call 911, and if we couldn’t call 911, then we would kind of be in a pickle, so that would be much less than ideal," Delalcazar said.
These phone service issues can make beachgoers nervous, especially when they are not familiar with the area.
“We continue to work with our cell providers on you know, trying to increase signal strength, look at additional towers and things that can go on in Port Aransas. As well as a new project that we’re about ready to launch which is public WiFi," Stawar said.
The city is partnering with Brightspeed and AEP Texas to install public WiFi transmitters across the city, with several of them on the beach, hoping that neighbors can use the free WiFi to make calls and send texts.
“Well, just being able to, like, contact people as needed and not worrying about messages either being delayed or having to worry about like just any kind of buffer between me and whoever I need to get in touch with," Steinberg said.
Stawar said that the City of Port Aransas and the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau hope to have the Port Aransas public WiFi project launched by the end of March, so that it is ready for the large summer crowds.
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