Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain has a remote ranch in Sedona, Arizona. Beautiful desert country with magnificent multi-colored rock formation. As with all remote places, the mobile phone coverage is lousy. The Washington Post has an extensive article about the VIP treatment both AT&T and Verizon gave the McCain family.  

Verizon finally put in a COWS (Cell-site On Wheels) near McCain's remote ranch. AT&T temporarily installed one of their COLT (Cell on Light Truck) units on the opposite of the property.

The COWS mobile cell towers are used for emergencies, such as the recent hurricanes along the US Gulf Coast and Atlantic Seaboard or major sporting events like auto races and political rallies. They enhance wireless network capacity and significantly improve reception in remote areas. This allows more customers to use their wireless phones concurrently to make calls, send and receive TXT and Picture Messages, and download games and ring tones.

COLTs are larger and can process thousands of calls every hour. The 25,000-pound COLT features two retractable masts, a microwave antenna to link network components, an emergency power generator, and a small office. The COLT is also fully equipped with resources needed during emergencies including equipment, fuel, electrical generators, food, water and cots.

There are only a handful of nearby residences to McCain's remote ranch and two small businesses open only by appointment. Construction costs for just the Verizon cell tower would be $22,000, records obtained by the Washington Post showed. Industry specialists contacted by the Post said that figure probably only covers the tower and fence because the antennas, the dish and power source would run the cost into the six figures.

Over Memorial Day weekend (May 24 to 26, 2008), McCain hosted potential vice presidential running mates at his remote ranch, but the area still lacked mobile phone coverage. Richard Klenner, then the wireless communications chief of the Secret Service for McCain, sent an e-mail to Verizon requesting they speed up the installation of a cellular tower.

All during the process of requesting and installing a cellular tower, there were shortcuts taken to get around the normal rules for such a major installation. AT&T spokeswoman Claudia Jones said that this is an unusual situation and you can't have a presidential nominee in an area where there is no cell coverage. AT&T claimed they got a permit to install their COLT. The local county permitting official said that one was not issued. A former Verizon executive vice president, who asked the Post not to name him because he still worked for the company, said that this project was a VIP kind of thing.

The whole process shows why everyone is so cynical of their politicians when those same politicians claim to represent the common folks. X

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