3 min 40 sec read –
Over the years, when people have asked me about King’s Grant Neighborhood, a rather common question was, “How is the cell service? We have Verizon.”
There was never a clear answer. It depended on the weather, where you were in the neighborhood, if your vehicle had WiFi, and a myriad of other factors.
The common answer around town evolved like a friendly game of ‘telephone’, “Oh, it’s spotty because it’s next to Fort Jackson.”
Not so. Actually, I’ve learned that there are five or so towers on the grounds of the fort. More on that later.
For tablet movie watchers and teenage gamers, this is a PITA, for sure. For parents, doctors, lawyers, and business owners, this is a major problem. Think of the radiologist who had to drive to the Bottles parking lot to read a scan, or the attorney who needs an answer within a time period, or the kids that potentially couldn’t reach their parents in a time of need.
Imagine the dilemma.
A few years ago, I was asked to sit on the HOA Board. During that time, there was much discussion regarding the service, particularly Verizon. After much conversation, on October 2021, the president of the HOA, Phil Muhlenkamp, texted me that night, “Let’s spearhead a tower in kg.”
We called a friend who worked at Verizon, and per his instructions for data, I took a Facebook poll asking which carrier their home contracted. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the vast majority are Verizon users (after all, Verizon is the official carrier of the Gamecocks). I’d have to look it up, but I think it was somewhere upwards of 80%. Of 415 +/- homesites, that’s a lot of phone lines.
The overall vote to construct a new tower passed overwhelmingly. There were a few folks concerned about safety, and I understand that, for sure. That said, I only need to remind folks that the other side of the cell signal of how all this works is usually either one cm from their or their loved one’s brain as it’s held to the ear, or two inches from the reproductive part of the body, as phones rest in a pant pocket for hours every day.
The HOA president and other members of a rotating board did most of the heavy lifting, including bringing in experts, on-site evaluations, and extensive contract redlining.
All this to say, and almost five years after starting this journey, if you’re cruising near I-77 near Exit 10 or Gate #1 of Fort Jackson Army Training Base, you will likely see what looks to be a lost California Redwood or Sequioa.
It’s quite amazing how they positioned it. Drivers on I-77 can only see it for a few seconds (notwithstanding a jam as in my image above), and because of angles, no one can really see it as drivers pass by on the neighborhood side.
Another point of information, as it relates to safety (and back to the towers at the fort). The closest Verizon tower to the neighborhood is Moncreif Army Health Clinic (MAHC)…The roof of an army hospital.
Hopefully, everyone in the vicinity of the areas mentioned above, along with parts of Lake Katharine, are enjoying the boost in connectivity!
Thank you for being the best real estate “network” in South Carolina!!!
Franklin Jones
