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The Telecom Digest for Wed, 30 Mar 2022
Volume 41 : Issue 52 : "text" format

table of contents
FirstNet and other phone systems for first responders
Re: AT&T brags about FirstNet's FIve Year Anniversary

Message-ID: <20220328235922.6B7FE790@telecom2018.csail.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2022 23:59:22 +0000 (UTC) From: Bill Horne <malQRMassimilation@gmail.com> Subject: FirstNet and other phone systems for first responders I was thinking about the story I ran on FirstNet(R), and I wondered about other systems for first responders, so I did some Google searches and came up with a couple of other systems which are geared to allow public officials and other first responders to get calls through when the network is experiencing overloads. The web site I came across, which links to info on two other systems besides FirstNet, is titled "ABOUT PRIORITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES," and it's from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agenecy. It's at https://www.cisa.gov/about-pts Here's my question: should this kind of information be available to the public? I can think of three things that need to be decided right up front: 1. Should political leaders enjoy priority on their calls? Let's be realistic: they won't use the privilege only when there's a hurricane coming or when the local river is rising. 2. Should priority calls be allowed for MD's, private ambulance serivces, or other non-governmental organizations that most people think are doing worthwhile things? 3. Assuming the answer to (1) is "Yes," then I have to ask if information about the systems which enable that kind of priority phone traffic should be available to the public. I'm not trying to start a horse/barn door argument: the information that these systems exist is already out there, and I can think of four or five ways to game them just off the top of my head, without knowing anything else about them other than that they /do/ exist. As things stand now, anyone trying to keep info on these systems confidential would be practicing "Security Through Obscurity," which never works - think about Blue Boxes if you need proof - but I'm curious how my readers feel about the subject. Bill -- (Please remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly)
Message-ID: <d17bcdda-ea78-1e01-3923-c107cecb30c2@panix.com> Date: 28 Mar 2022 13:24:06 -0400 From: "David" <wb8foz@panix.com> Subject: Re: AT&T brags about FirstNet's FIve Year Anniversary On 3/25/22 8:39 PM, Bill Horne wrote: > 2. What, exactly, is "FirstNet(R)?" ... > 4. Since FirstNet appears to be a new implementation of cellular, will > AT&T be required to install backup power that can withstand more > than a one or two-day outage? FirstNet is what failed Dec 25, 2020 in Nashville, after the bombing took out the ATT tandem office with the 4ESS there. It's been described as a 47 billion dollar debacle. Part of it is a cell-phone network on exclusive spectrum to prevent saturation during mass-casualty events. But it still needs not just backup power, but also connectivity between the cell sites and their connection to the PSTN telephone network. When the Nashville firefighters responded, they found their FirstNet phones were anything but reliable, as they were dead.

End of telecom Digest Wed, 30 Mar 2022

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