Cindy McCain introduces her husband during a rally in Blue Bell, Pa., yesterday. (Matt Rourke/AP)

Early in 2007, just as her husband launched his presidential bid, Cindy McCain sought to resolve an old problem - the lack of cellphone coverage on her remote 15-acre ranch near Sedona, Ariz., nestled deep in a tree-lined canyon called Hidden Valley.

Over the past year, she offered land for a permanent cell tower, and Verizon Wireless embarked on an expensive public process to meet her needs, hiring contractors and seeking county land-use permits.

Verizon ultimately abandoned its effort to install a permanent tower in August. Company spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said the project would be "an inappropriate way" to build its network. "It doesn't make business sense for us to do that

Instead, Verizon delivered a portable tower known as a "cell site on wheels" - free of charge - to the McCain property in June

In July, AT&T followed suit, wheeling in a portable tower for free to match Verizon's offer.