Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Outside View: Blackouts and busy signals

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 15:02:05 -0500

Outside View: Blackouts and busy signals
By Michael I. Gottdenker
A UPI Outside View commentary
Published 10/7/2003 3:37 PM

BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 7 (UPI) -- In less than five minutes starting at 4:10 p.m. on Aug. 14,
about 21
electric power generating plants shut down in the Northeast, cutting off power to some 60
million customers
in eight states and Canada.

Even before the lights came on again, criticism of overwhelmed cellular telephone systems
was flowing
freely. The cellular networks could not handle the emergency volume of calls, almost two
years after the
terrible terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Because of the blackout, some policymakers are again asking Congress and the Federal
Communications Commission to impose tougher new service standards and mandate a wireless
priority
service plan to ensure first responders will have priority over the rest of us at times of
public emergencies.
In an Aug. 24 letter to FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell, Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y.,
wrote,
"I respectfully urge the FCC to mandate that all cell phone providers participate in the
WPS system."
This idea is well-intentioned but wrongheaded. Advocates of the WPS have incorrectly
concluded that
their plan will greatly aid emergency workers.

The wireless communications lesson of the recent blackout is simply this: the cellular
networks that we
all use everyday to conduct our business and personal lives were not designed for use
during public
emergencies, are not built to withstand such emergencies, and will never perform
adequately in future
emergencies. Under no circumstance should we expect these networks to be the primary means
of communication
for first responders. Life is too precious.

Instead, first responder organizations -- including both public safety organizations and
electric and gas
utilities -- should maintain their own private wireless networks that are specifically
designed for use during
emergencies. These exclusive, non-shared networks can be built for a fraction of the cost
of
modifying existing public networks, and will provide the kind of reliability needed during
emergencies.
During non-emergencies, they can be used to increase efficiency and safety during normal
day-to-day
operations.

Private wireless networks are not something new; rather, they are a throw-back. Before
there were public
cellular networks, private wireless networks provided the only means of wireless
communications. But
the proliferation of cellular networks and their owners' aggressive advertising, combined
with rising costs
for spectrum and always-scarce technology dollars, have forced many first responders to
take the path of
least resistance -- the public networks.

Conversely, those who have resisted this trend and maintained or developed private
networks had no
trouble communicating during the blackout. Their systems all had appropriate power backup
and, with
normal operations suspended, had ample capacity to handle emergency communications.

During the Aug. 14 blackout, while public safety entities that rely on public networks
struggled with their
communications, police departments in Ontario utilized their private wireless networks and
were able to
keep critical voice and data services, such as 911 dispatch, up and running with no
delays.

Cellular phone companies widely promote their services and networks as a safety net that
can be relied
upon in emergencies. They rarely note, however, that they are typically referring to
emergencies like
one's car breaking down on the side of the highway, not catastrophic events such as
blackouts, terrorism
or natural, weather-related disasters.

To suggest that the public cellular networks should be relied upon in these types of
life-or-death emergencies
places an unreasonably high burden on the cellular industry.

The public cellular networks do not need to be retrofitted to accommodate emergencies.
Even if possible,
the cost-benefit is not there for these commercial, profit-minded

companies. In the end, it simply will not work. Public networks should be left to do what
they were
designed to do -- provide excellent and reliable connectivity for personal and business
users.
That said, there is a role for public cellular networks at times of emergencies, since the
general public is
an important part of the response system. Individual citizens who make calls from their
mobile cell
phones to police and fire departments to report problems and danger areas collectively
make up a wide
intelligence network that helps emergency workers prioritize.

The cell phone users are not just calling home to chat. They assure loved ones that they
are safe, thereby
eliminating the need for relatives to place unnecessary calls. Cell phones can greatly aid
the
word-of-mouth information network to people on the streets to let them know important
information, such
as that mass transit systems are running again.

In times of emergency when the ability to communicate is vital, having emergency service
workers rely
on a system designed for normal civilian use is just silly. Do not blame the cellular
companies. Their systems
and networks performed admirably given the circumstances. The solution -- private wireless

networks -- is already in use all over the world. These networks simply need to be
deployed where they
are not, and augmented and expanded where they currently exist. Only then will we be
certain that the
call will be heard when it is needed most.

– Michael I. Gottdenker is chairman & CEO of Access Spectrum, LLC, a FCC-licensed band
manager
based in Bethesda, MD.

– United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside
contributors who specialize
in a variety of important issues.

http://www.accessspectrum.com/xpwreport/images/blackouts.pdf

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