GILES CO., Va. – Residents in Giles County’s Wilburn Valley have been without cellular service for over a week, raising concerns about safety and communication in the rural community.
U.S. Cellular customers in the area report a complete loss of service with no timeline for restoration, leaving many longtime subscribers considering alternative providers.
“We’ve tried many different carriers and U.S. Cellular was by far the best one,” said Amy Henderson, a Wilburn Valley resident. “All of a sudden, our cell phone service’s out.”
The outage has particularly impacted vulnerable residents, including elderly and disabled community members who rely on cellular service for emergency communication.
“She lives here alone and she’s wheelchair bound due to some mobility deficits,” said Kala Cook, speaking about her grandmother. “It’s been a real concern that if something were to happen, she has no way of contacting anyone.”
The service disruption extends beyond personal communications, affecting local emergency response capabilities. Several emergency medical service workers and volunteer firefighters living in the affected area are unable to receive calls, potentially delaying response times to emergencies.
Henderson expressed broader concerns about the community’s elderly population: “We have a lot of older people living in their homes who depend on being able to contact somebody for help if they need it. And that’s lost now. Some people just feel completely cut off.”
Residents report receiving little information about the cause of the outage or potential resolution. “I have heard from multiple people that they get the same run around. Nobody’s told any solution when anything’s going to be fixed,” Cook said.
The prolonged outage has pushed some longtime customers to explore alternatives. Henderson said she’s now considering separate internet service “to have something to be able to talk to people if I need to.”