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 26th August 2003