Poster
08-27-2003, 02:00 PM
The colossal blackout caused more than just power outages, it also took out the nations’ mobile phone networks. The system, which normally operates at 25% capacity, was unable to handle the increased demand for air time. Transformers and Cell towers were mostly to blame, after their generators finally lost battery power.
“Cell phones failed us on Sept. 11, they failed last week, and unless we make changes soon they’ll fail us again next time,” said Schumer in a press conference in New York. “Over the years, traditional telephone land lines and most other utilities have developed so-called redundancies—if one power system fails, there is a backup to keep people safe. The wireless industry just isn’t there yet, and it needs to catch up quick.”
The FCC’s Network Reliability and Interoperability Council is set up to troubleshoot outage causes and prevention methods, but has no authority to enforce solutions. Then can, however, make operational suggestions to the FCC for review. A few of the Schumer wants are more backup generators and priority service for emergency personnel.
"As Sen. Schumer indicates, Wireless Priority Service (WPS) is an important tool for designated national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) users in times of emergency or natural disaster," said T-Mobile. "Congress took a positive step when it restored funding for Wireless Priority Service, and we, along with others, look to Congress to continue to support its development and implementation. As federal, state and local awareness of wireless priority service increases, we expect to see a growing number of designated users."
To read more link to: http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=14840
“Cell phones failed us on Sept. 11, they failed last week, and unless we make changes soon they’ll fail us again next time,” said Schumer in a press conference in New York. “Over the years, traditional telephone land lines and most other utilities have developed so-called redundancies—if one power system fails, there is a backup to keep people safe. The wireless industry just isn’t there yet, and it needs to catch up quick.”
The FCC’s Network Reliability and Interoperability Council is set up to troubleshoot outage causes and prevention methods, but has no authority to enforce solutions. Then can, however, make operational suggestions to the FCC for review. A few of the Schumer wants are more backup generators and priority service for emergency personnel.
"As Sen. Schumer indicates, Wireless Priority Service (WPS) is an important tool for designated national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) users in times of emergency or natural disaster," said T-Mobile. "Congress took a positive step when it restored funding for Wireless Priority Service, and we, along with others, look to Congress to continue to support its development and implementation. As federal, state and local awareness of wireless priority service increases, we expect to see a growing number of designated users."
To read more link to: http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=14840