Radio to The Rescue: Cellphone Service A Victim Of CA Wildfires

California’s recent power shut-offs, meant to reduce the risk of potentially catastrophic fires, have had an unwelcome side effect. The blackouts have also cut power to many cellphone towers, blocking the main communications source for many in harm’s way, reports The NYTimes.

“You don’t appreciate how essential cellphone service is until you lose it,” said Chris Ungson, deputy director for communications and water policy for the California Public Advocates Office, an independent agency within the state’s Public Utilities Commission. “It’s not just a matter of inconvenience; it’s a matter of public health and safety. It’s a lifeline to many, many people.”

Emergency calls to 911 are one indicator: The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services said more than 80 percent of such calls in California last year were made by cellphone.

For years, state and federal regulators have pressed the cellular companies to better reinforce their networks for emergencies. The FCC said Monday that it was conducting “a comprehensive review of the wireless industry’s voluntary commitment to promote resilient wireless communications during disasters.”

LA Times graphic

Verizon, AT&T and other carriers said Monday that they were working to minimize disruption, but could offer no specific guarantees.

In Paradise, a Sierra foothill town rebuilding after it was devastated by fire last year, the combination of the power shut-off and uncertain communications was causing renewed anxiety on Monday.

Jess Mercer, who conducted her elementary-school drawing class by lantern light, said cellular service was spotty and wireless internet connections were out in many areas, leaving many parents and teachers uncertain about whether school was open.

Some parents, she said, were resorting to a 20th-century information source to stay updated. “A lot of people are telling me they’re getting into their cars and trying to get warm with their heaters, and they’re listening to the radio,” Ms. Mercer said. “People are trying any way they can to get information.”



The increasing connection between power failures and communications outages arises from the transformative effect of wireless devices, which many people have made their sole source of telephone service.

Most cell towers have some form of backup power. When they lose power, they resort to batteries. If the batteries run out, the towers draw power from generators, which rely on fuel. These methods can provide power for days or longer, depending on whether the generators can be refueled.