IP-FLASH U.S. Considers Restricting Cellphone Use in Disasters

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

[ now talk about public panic , this will most likely cause it in a 
emergency. Especially when the "officials" use it to check on THEIR family. 
Would not making the infrastucture more robust be a better route  djf]


> Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 10:51:10 -0500
> To: farber () cis upenn edu (David Farber)
> From: Richard Jay Solomon <rsolomon () dsl cis upenn edu>
> Subject: U.S. Considers Restricting Cellphone Use in Disasters
>
> Sounds like this is a catastrophe in the making. Doesn't anyone in charge 
> of telecom understand the fundamentals of human communications? Didn't 
> they learn anything about American resourcefulness from Sept. 11?
>
> But maybe I'm missing something here.
>
> --Richard
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/12/nyregion/12CELL.html?searchpv=past7days
> > December 12, 2001
> >
> > TELECOMMUNICATIONS
> > U.S. Considers Restricting Cellphone Use in Disasters
> >
> > By JAYSON BLAIR
> >
> > Federal officials are working on a plan to close cellphone networks to 
> > almost everyone but government officials in the event of another major 
> > emergency like the Sept. 11 attacks, officials said.
> >
> > The move is intended to prevent the networks from being so clogged with 
> > calls that emergency workers cannot communicate. But there is some 
> > concern among cellphone companies about the costs and the possible public 
> > outcry if people cannot contact loved ones in an emergency.
> >
> > Cellular telephone companies reported after the attacks that sales had 
> > surged among those who wanted cellphones in case of an emergency. 
> > Although the cellphone networks were overloaded during the attacks, many 
> > people in the towers and doomed jetliners were able to call loved ones, 
> > and those who were safe were also able to contact family and friends. 
> > Passengers on Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania, are believed to 
> > have helped bring the plane down after finding out about the attacks in 
> > cellphone calls.
> >
> > The new system would give calls from local, state and federal government 
> > officials first priority during emergencies. Federal officials had 
> > planned to have a temporary system running in Washington, New York and 
> > Salt Lake City by the end of January, but the concerns of the cellular 
> > companies are so great that they are backing away from a quick deployment.
> >
> > In October, the National Communications System, a government agency in 
> > Arlington, Va., that advises the White House on telecommunications 
> > issues, said that it had received a commitment from Verizon Wireless to 
> > shut the networks to almost all but official traffic in case of an 
> > emergency in those cities in time for the 2002 Winter Olympics in 
> > February at Salt Lake City. But Verizon officials dispute that, saying 
> > that they were never that close to an agreement.
> >
> > Government officials said that the public inconveniences notwithstanding, 
> > the system is necessary to protect national security.
> >
> > "Cellphone usage by the general public in emergency situations results in 
> > congestion in wireless networks, which has prevented national security 
> > and emergency response personnel from obtaining access during emergencies 
> > and natural disasters," the N.C.S. said in a statement at the time, 
> > adding that when landline networks are damaged, cellphones may be clogged 
> > further. Yesterday, Stephen Barrett, an N.C.S. spokesman, said that the 
> > talks were stalled. "Right now we can't do much of anything, because we 
> > are still working on negotiations."
> >
> > Discussions about virtually turning over cellphone networks to the 
> > government in an emergency have been under way for several years, federal 
> > officials said, but plans were accelerated after Sept. 11.
> >
> > In New York, dozens of cellphone towers were knocked out of service at 
> > the trade center, as well as emergency communications systems on the roof 
> > of the north tower. Government officials say that as few as one in every 
> > 20 calls connected that day. In addition, 200,000 regular telephone lines 
> > were knocked out after a Verizon central office near the trade center was 
> > damaged, further hurting emergency communications.
> >
> > Government officials said that the priority system had the support of The 
> > New York Police Department, the New York Fire Department, the Federal 
> > Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency, which all 
> > suffered major communications problems in the days after the attacks when 
> > their offices were destroyed or phone service went down because of 
> > Verizon's problems.
> >
> > N.C.S. officials said that the initial system they were working on would 
> > guarantee that 2,000 government officials in Washington, New York and 
> > Salt Lake City would be able to make wireless calls in an emergency. It 
> > would later be expanded to give priority to calls from 15,000 government 
> > workers in each city and then 50,000 workers in each city, officials 
> > said. The N.C.S. goal is to have a nationwide system in place by 2002.
> >
> > Under the system outlined by the N.C.S., government officials would be 
> > given an access code to allow priority calls. Each code would be assigned 
> > one of five priority levels.
> >
> > The system will not be unlike the one for regular landline calls, which 
> > gives priority to calls from certain telephone numbers. The main 
> > difference for consumers, would be that the cellular networks have 
> > nowhere near the capacity of landline networks, making it more likely 
> > that most of the public would not be able to use cellphones in an emergency.
> >
> > In addition to concern about impact on consumers, cellular companies said 
> > that the price tag could be as much as $2 billion nationwide, about the 
> > same cost as the cellular 911 system. It is unclear who will have to pay 
> > to the network equipment and upgrades to computer systems to support the 
> > system. Cellular phone companies have advocated government financing.
> >
> > Officials say that because of the potential costs, taking a piece of the 
> > cellular spectrum, building and maintaining a new wireless network with 
> > thousands of hubs and computers, and only using it in emergencies is not 
> > even being considered.
> >
> > Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest 
> > cellular telephone carrier, declined comment other than to say, "When the 
> > government is prepared to announce something, the government will 
> > announce something."
> >
> > The N.C.S., according to government officials, is also also in 
> > discussions with other cellular telephone companies, including 
> > VoiceStream Wireless and Sprint PCS Group.
> > "We want to understand exactly what they are looking at, what the 
> > requirements would be and how to implement it on a network," said James 
> > Fisher, a spokesman for Sprint. "There are a number of complicated things 
> > involved, and we want to look at the whole picture and what the 
> > implications might be for our consumers."
> >
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