Senator Richard Blumenthal is touting AT&Ts decision to bring cell service to the town of Washington, Connecticut.  He wrote to the company in July urging that they activate service as soon as possible because the town center and other areas of the community have long been cell spot dead zones.  Blumenthal says that creates communications barriers for emergency services, businesses and residents alike.  He called cell service something that's no longer an optional luxury, rather a basic necessity.