Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Call for improved cell phone service during emergencies

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2003 03:47:08 -0400

Call for improved cell phone service during emergencies

Armed with new data showing cell phones will overtake traditional land lines as
most-used means of communication in New York within next two years, US Senator
Charles E. Schumer has revealed new information showing that the comprehensive
failure of New York's cell phone service during the recent blackout was far worse
than previously thought.  Not only couldn't New Yorkers get their mobile phones to
work, but only one cell phone provider had a working system in place to give
police and firefighters first-in-line priority to make cell phone calls.

Schumer has proposed requiring every cell phone provider give first priority to
emergency personnel and urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to
improve service for all cell phone users during emergencies.

"Last week's blackout was a cell phone disaster,"Schumer said. "The one time you
really can't afford to be without a working cell phone is when there is a major
emergency, but that's exactly when New Yorkers' mobile phones went dead in their
hands. Even worse, the systems that are supposed to put cops and firefighters at
the head of the line for cell phone service just aren't there at most companies,
leaving the heroes who need cell phone service most no better off than the rest of
us. Cell phones failed us on 9/11, they failed last week, and unless we make
changes soon they'll fail us again next time."
Schumer found this week that T-Mobile is the only cell phone provider with a
working plan in place to give emergency providers first priority to place cell
phone calls during emergencies.

While traditional "land-line" phones continued to work after most of New York lost
power last week, cell phone systems could not handle the increased numbers of
calls – Verizon Wireless reported four times the ordinary call volume and Sprint
PCS reported three times the normal call volume. In addition, cell phone service
got worse, not better, as the blackout continued, when thousands of cell phone
towers and transmitters lost power because their battery backups only lasted from
two to six hours. Cell phone companies didn't have enough generators to recharge
the batteries and found that recharging was an hours-long process for each of the
thousands of cell phone transmitters in New York.

There are over 10.5 million cell phone subscribers in the New York City area, a
number which is projected to grow to 12.4 million by 2006 – an increase of 15%.
But while the number of cell phone users is expected to increase 15% in the next
three years, the number of minutes of cell phone calls made in New York is
projected to increase 37%, from 66.7 billion this year to 106.2 billion in 2006,
based on national data from The Yankee Group. Over the same period, the projected
number of traditional minutes of land line calls made in New York is projected to
decrease 8.4% in New York, from 106.2 billion to this year to only 98.0 billion in
2003.

Schumer said that while cell phone calls will surpass land line calls in New York
within two years, cell phone networks already can't handle high call volumes after
a major disaster. Almost all cellular networks can only handle 25 to 30% of their
customers making a phone call at any one time, and the FCC does not currently put
specific requirements on network quality or capacity.

Even worse, most police, firefighters, and first responders do not get priority
for their cell phone calls after disasters because only one cell phone provider in
New York has implemented the plan to do this that the Federal government put in
place almost two years ago.

After the events of September 11, 2001, when it was nearly impossible to get a
cell phone signal in New York City, the White House's National Security Council
ordered the creation of a nationwide Wireless Priority Service to give emergency
responders and key government officials first access to cellular phone systems.
The Wireless Priority Service is administered by the US National Communications
System, which became part of the US Department of Homeland Security earlier this
year. Once a cellular phone has been subscribed to the Wireless Priority Service,
users dial a special code and immediately go to the head of the line for an open
cellular channel. Wireless Priority Service calls do not pre-empt ordinary cell
calls already in progress, but using Wireless Priority Service greatly increases
the likelihood emergency personnel will be able to make cell phone calls during
periods of high cell phone congestion.

After last week's blackouts, Schumer discovered that only one mobile phone company
– T-Mobile – offers Wireless Priority Service in New York. Schumer noted that
current FCC regulations make participating in the Wireless Priority Service
optional – not required – and the wireless companies that provide the overwhelming
majority of cell phones in New York do not participate in the program.

In an effort to address these shortcomings, Schumer has written to the Chairman of
the FCC and urged him to adopt a Cell Phone Disaster Preparedness Plan to ensure
priority calls go through first, systems can handle more calls immediately after
disaster strikes, and transmitters don't go dead after a few hours without
electricity.

Schumer noted that the costs of Wireless Priority Service calls are relatively low
for local law enforcement organizations – a US$10 one-time activation fee per
phone, a US$4.50 per month service fee, and US$0.75 per minute for Wireless
Priority Service calls. (Wireless Priority Service minutes are not charged against
the basic service minutes.) Regular cell phone subscribers currently do not help
pay for Wireless Priority Service.
"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 fact that only one cell phone company in New York can give
cops and firefighters the call priority we all need them to have shows how far
this industry still has to go," Schumer said.

Posted to the site on 26-Aug-03

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/9590.shtml

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