Opinion split on authority to shut down wireless in emergency

Opinion appears sharply divided on whether the government and law enforcement should have unchecked authority to initiate a localized or citywide wireless service shutdown for public safety purposes.

In April, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a notice seeking public comments on the issue. In its notice the FCC noted that interruption of wireless services by the government, however brief or localized, raised significant legal and policy questions. "We are concerned that there has been insufficient discussion, analysis, and consideration of the questions raised by intentional interruptions," the FCC had noted in seeking public feedback on the need for new procedures for handling such shutdowns. The one-month period for filing public comments ended May 30. A review of the responses to the FCC requests over the past month shows that many support the idea of the government having the ability to quickly shut down wireless services, but only as a matter of last resort and only in an extreme emergency. Others however opposed the idea outright calling it unconstitutional and an example of prior restraint on free speech.