ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -
Superstorm Sandy disrupted cellphone service in several states, and New
York's Sen. Charles Schumer wants to make sure that doesn't happen
again.
Schumer is asking the Federal Communication Commission to require that cellphone service providers have emergency power sources.
He says the FCC should work
with the telecommunications industry and first responder groups to
maximize reliability and minimize costs.
When Sandy hit the Eastern
seaboard on Oct. 29, nearly 1 in 4 cellphone customers were without
communications and some customers lost service for days.
An FCC spokesman says the regulating body wants to take a serious look at requiring backup power.
And AT&T spokeswoman
says the company hasn't seen Schumer's proposal but will continue to
work closely with government to prepare for emergencies.
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2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
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