On Friday, Inside Towers reported that U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone had introduced the SANDY Act in Congress earlier in week and had then traveled to his home district in New Jersey that was wracked by Superstorm Sandy In October 2012. The storm ripped through the state and many folks were left without power or cell service. There was no way to call 911, or even tune into the news. Three years later. And Pallone says that governments are still ill-prepared for natural disasters, particularly in the way of interoperability.
“This is addressing just the fact that certain systems were not resilient in the storm, but there also was the issue of interoperability,” Pallone told NJTVonline.org. The news site reports that during an emergency, Pallone’s bill will enable cell phone users to access other network carriers if their’s fails; increase coordination among wireless carriers, utilities and public safety personnel; create 911 capabilities for Wi-Fi hotspots; and ensure rapid repairs by TV, phone and radio service providers across state lines.
“If you had Verizon you couldn’t use AT&T or vice versa so one of the things we’re talking about is being able to use another network with your cell phone if your network is not operating,” Pallone said.
He’s proposed increasing airwaves to network carriers and says increasing bandwidth to meet those demands isn’t off the table. The bill prepares for the future of communication and natural disaster, because Pallone says the only certainty is that we will see it again, according to NJTVonline.org.
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