AT&T Objected To Proposed Regulations Just Weeks Before Massive Outage
LOS ANGELES (KNX 1070) — It was the day AT&T cell phones went dead throughout Los Angeles, and now, KNX 1070's investigative reporter Charles Feldman tells us why the phone company is being so mysterious about what happened.
Podcast
On Sept. 24, KNX reported that tens of thousands of AT&T wireless customers could not make or receive calls after nearly 1,000 cell towers went down.
Two weeks after the cell outage and outrage, AT&T still offers no real explanation beyond "equipment failure."
But there is a lot more to this.
Weeks before the incident, AT&T filed papers with the Federal Communications Commission, objecting strongly to proposed regulations that would mandate back-up power for wireless and broadband services.
It is not now required under federal law.
"Network reliability is much broader than just a back-up power. But yes, it is a public safety and a safety of the public issue," Jamie Barnett, chief of public safety for the FCC, told KNX.
Remember old fashioned pagers? Many hospitals use them first; they say cell phones are too unreliable.
"Especially in disaster, where you then jam your cell phone transmitters and your cellular network can be brought down simply because of traffic," Sharon Marie Correa of Glendale Adventist Medical Center said.
The wireless and computer phone industries continue to fight government regulations on back-up power the FCC is pushing ahead. The battle continues… can you hear them now?
