WASHINGTON-Wireless carriers should be exempt from the actual or threatened rolling blackouts that have plagued California in recent weeks in the same way wireline carriers are exempt, two of the largest carriers said last week.
“We would like to be placed in the same category if we have an extended power outage,” said John Boyer, executive director of network for Verizon Wireless. “Switches are critical because they are hubs for our traffic.”
Boyer said he does not know why wireless carriers were not given the same treatment as wireline carriers but noted that up until now the impact has been minimal because of the various backup systems Verizon has in place. For example, all cell sites have either generator or battery backup while switching sites have both generator and battery backup.
If the blackouts continue, Boyer is worried, “anything could happen.” This is especially true if the blackout times-currently 1.5 hours-are increased. Verizon normally plans for four hours of battery backup.
“It is odd. … We should probably be exempt but we have built the redundant systems. The wireline carriers are so tied to the power companies,” said Steven Crosby, vice president of communications and public policy for AT&T Wireless Services Inc.
Crosby said AT&T’s wireless network stayed up because of backup systems that are in place.
“We are fairly used to disasters in California,” said Crosby.
The nation’s second-largest carrier, Cingular Wireless Inc., said the millennium bug scare prepared them for this year’s rolling blackouts.
“We went through this drill two years ago preparing for [Year 2000] Y2K to make sure we had sufficient backup,” said company spokesman Clay Owen.
Cingular’s backup system is programmed for two hours, Owen added.
While many believe that so goes California, so goes the nation, the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association does not believe this to be a national issue. CTIA said the fact that wireless carriers were not exempt while wireline carriers are is a state issue so they were unable to comment.
