On 2005-07-12-12:56:42, Jim Popovitch <jimpop@yahoo.com> wrote:
As for the "Emergency Only" mode, the original poster said _power was cut_ to the repeaters. Could you explain to me how this allows for 911 calls please?
The original poster quoted a news report, how may times have you seen technically accurate news reports? I don't know the source of the report but I do know that some people think the the whole internet is down when only it is their connection. In this case (someone saying that the port authority had shutdown cellphone access) there are so many possible interpretations that it is impossible to really know without firsthand knowledge. Speculation as to "how", is just as bad as speculation as to "why" (which is why I jumped into this cat fight).
When I was in the Lincoln Tunnel yesterday, my Cingular (GSM) phone clearly reported that it had no service, not even "SOS-only" mode. As I understand it, cellular service in the tunnels is provided by cells co-located in the Weehawken, NJ and New York City, NY vent buildings, with "leaky coax" cable shared by all carriers running inside the tubes. Since the vent buildings are owned operated by the NY/NJ Port Authority, it seems conceivable they could have pulled the power if they wanted to. Whether or not they did is best left as an exercise for the nanog-l army of political commentators and counter-terrorism specialists... Hope this helps, -a