On Aug 28, 2009, at 7:17 AM, Daniel Senie wrote:
If you want to make the emergency phone thing a part of the discussion, then regulations need to exist AND be enforced, and penalties assessed, for failure to provide such during power outages. It's not happening today, so don't expect it in the future either.
The FCC has adopted requirements for 24 hours of backup power for central offices and 8 hours for remote switches, digital loop carrier (SLCs), and cell sites among others back in 2007. However those rules have been on hold so far due to the usual wrangling. Unless Katrina fades completely from memory, some sort of requirement will likely come out, at least to maintain existing backup power equipment. Individual states may have their own preexisting regulations. Even in spite of the current state of FCC rulemaking, I've seen a number of new generators placed at cell sites.