Wireless carriers, broadcasters point to cell outages to support spectrum claims

Both wireless service providers and television broadcasters argue that cellphone outages following an earthquake demonstrate their industry's need for spectrum.

In the aftermath of the rare magnitude-5.8 earthquake that rocked the East Coast, thousands of people trying to make phone calls at the same time overwhelmed wireless networks. Spokesmen for AT&T and Verizon acknowledged heavy call volumes disrupted service in some areas. But they emphasized there were no reports of physical damage to their networks and service returned to normal. Steve Largent, president of CTIA-the Wireless Association, a telecommunication trade group, said the earthquake "underscored the vital need for our industry to get more spectrum." He said spectrum is like lanes on a highway, and cellphones are like cars. "Yesterday, a huge number of users were trying to use the same highway at the same time, which caused the jam," he said. "With more spectrum, we'd have more lanes that would allow more users."

(Aug 24)