Frustrating inaugural message: No cell signal

Scores of Inauguration goers trying to tweet and text from the National Mall on Monday hit an apparent wall with spotty wireless service — even though the carriers themselves said there wasn’t much of a problem. Most attendees later expressed their frustrations online — that is, once they could find a healthy signal. But the sense from AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint was that their networks performed as well as they could have given the heavy demand. The disruptions even affected members of Congress. "So frustrating. No signal during ceremony," tweeted Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) at the end of the festivities, continuing, "So I'll send my tweets now. Apologies they weren't in real time." McCaskill is a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees wireless companies and their networks.