Rosenworcel: Shooting Tragedy Shows Need for Rural Broadband

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2024 – FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel agrees that expanded cell phone coverage in rural areas could prevent things like the tragic shooting death of Kaylin Gillis.

The April 2023 shooting death of the 20-year-old Gillis, a passenger whose vehicle entered into the wrong driveway in a rural area of upstate New York with three others, has become a painful example of how the lack of cell coverage led to someone's death. 

Blake Walsh, Gillis's boyfriend who was the driver, noted that he accidentally turned into the driveway only because they were out of range of phone service on a dark night.