C Spire Wireless, Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless say they...

Gov. Phil Bryant (R) to declare a state of emergency in 45 counties in the northeastern part of that state; the storm has affected portions of other states along the East Coast and Gulf Coast, the National Weather Service said. Verizon Wireless’s network was “performing well” as of Wednesday afternoon, a spokeswoman told us, saying the carrier will “continue to monitor our network 24/7 to ensure it is performing for our customers.” Sprint’s network isn’t “experiencing any impacts” from the storm, which The Weather Channel refers to as Winter Storm Helen, a Sprint spokeswoman said. However, the carrier is “diligently monitoring the storm progress and [has] plans in place to deploy resources if the storm poses a significant threat,” the spokeswoman said. C Spire “has not experienced any service interruptions or impacts” to its network from the storm, the carrier said late Tuesday in a news release. The carrier was “taking precautionary steps to bolster its network and mobilize employees to protect against potential damage” Tuesday amid concerns about deteriorating conditions, said Eric Hollingsworth, C Spire vice president-network operations (http://xrl.us/boa4g7).