Globe editorial calls FM radio "outdated technology"

[Garrett Wollman]

<<On Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:46:09 -0400, Bob DeMattia <bob.bosra@demattia.net> said:

> Examples?
> (1) Hurricane Katrina (2005)
> (2) World Trade Center attack (2001)
> (3) Hurricane Andrew (1992)

Any relevant EAS (or EBS in 1992) alerts would have been sent well
before cell service was lost in those events.

> (3) people both inside and outside the affected area start trying to call
>       their friends and relatives causing the already diminshed-capacity
>       system to overload.

There's already a priority-override system in the cell network to
avoid just such a situation, part of the National Communications
System.  State and national public-safety officials can get a bit set
on their mobile accounts which allows them to have priority access;
the same mechanism is used to give priority access to 9-1-1.

-GAWollman