Poloncarz: ‘There’s going to be telecommunication problems’ on April 8

BUFFALO, N.Y. — As we get closer to the total solar eclipse, local leaders are preparing for the possible tens of thousands of people who will visit the region to take in the celestial event.

That includes making sure communication lines don’t go down.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz on Friday said just like traffic, you should expect delays when it comes to cell service on April 8. He said the county will be able to communicate no matter what, through internal tools, but there could be issues if the system is overwhelmed.

“There’s going to be telecommunication problems,” Poloncarz said. “You’re going to be sitting there, like, aggravated. ‘Oh, I can’t get my picture through.’ Eventually you’ll get it through. Our worry is the individual who’s at the waterfront and has a heart attack, and their family member and others are calling 911, and they can’t get through. That’s a concern.”

Poloncarz says Verizon has agreed to bring a mobile unit to the waterfront on April 8 to help boost service in the area.