Rural Cell Coverage Failure Cripples 2FA for Elderly User

An elderly woman in the Western North Carolina mountains struggles to access online services due to poor cell coverage preventing her from receiving SMS 2FA codes. Despite living a short distance from Asheville, her cell service is unreliable, contradicting the carrier's coverage map. While WiFi calling allows receiving messages from friends, it fails for 5-digit shortcodes used by many services. Switching to TOTP 2FA presents its own hurdles, requiring app downloads and technical knowledge, creating significant inconvenience. This highlights the challenges faced by rural populations with inadequate cell service and the need for more inclusive authentication methods.