Cell phone links disabled in New York tunnels -- CNN (Reuters)

[BrightKnight]

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Cellular phone service has been shut off in four busy New York commuter tunnels since last week's deadly blasts in London, officials said Monday.

No specific reason was given for the move but cell phones have been used to trigger bombs in the past.

...But he added: "If you stop a cell phone, there are myriad other ways to trigger bombs."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/ptech/07/11/nyc.tunnel.cellphones.reut/index.html

[Syncronaut Seven]

1. Goofballs haven't got a clue.

Make the population feel secure, make their cell phones useless.

Or perhaps I'm reading this wrong, perhaps their trying to drive folks away from mass transit. Hmm... Who would benefit?

[NV Whino]

2. It's hard to believe that cell phones

worked in tunnels in the first place.

[Raster]

3. normally they wouldn't. they had to install repeaters...

[NV Whino]

4. Thanks for the info.

Wonder if that would work in my neck of the woods with all the nooks and crannies of the mountains cutting off reception.

[kurtyboy]

19. Hey whino, what are the flowers in your sigline?

To my eyes, I see a fuschia in the second one, and a columbine in the third, but what about the first? Lemme know----I love botany.

Kurt

[Kingshakabobo]

29. Check the "properties". Right click on the pictures.

:)

[NV Whino]

31. The first is the

dreaded vetch that invaded one of my flower pots. But I loved the color and the shadow against the green leaves.

On edit: the columbine was a weird mistake. Had the camera set for flash and shot with the flash closed in the shade.

[ConfuZed]

20. We have to find the name of the asshole who made this decision

so we can call and email his office

[BrightKnight]

5. quickly report a medical emergency, crime, or unattended package

Disabling communications will not prevent terrorism.

An army of millions of alert passengers with instant access to 911 is a very good thing.

In the event of a terrorism even cell communications might be helpful in responding to the situation.

This kind of hysterical small minded policy making should be feared.

[Lindsay]

6. But disabling cell phones musta cost very little,

whereas actual security might cost actual money that would otherwise go to Halliburton.

[deacon2]

22. Nailed it

Remember when Bush held up the dead fireman's badge and wept alligator tears as he promised more funding for "our heroes" to have radios that actually synced up on the same frequencies. 8 weeks later it was cut from the budget. Our ports are wide-open, our rail systems are wide-open, our asses are... sorry. But I think you know what I mean.

[applegrove]

7. I think the harder you make it for the nuts out there..the better. Even

by forcing them to use people who are willing to suicide bomb means it is harder for a cell to organize.

If cell phones could have been used in London then think how much harder it would be to go back and find the right tapes. At least with this lot they know they had to have used timers. Every little bit of trouble you cause terrorists the better.

[alarimer]

26. crap

Imagine the chaos if something happens and people can't call 911? This is just stupid.

[Betsy Ross]

8. We just spent money installing repeaters

so we could receive radio and cell signals in our tunnel. This was done for security/safety reasons. Some days it works, others not. So some of the time we are safe from cell phone-activated bombs and sometimes we can call for emergency help in case an otherwise triggered bomb goes off in the tunnel. What a solution to Homeland Security!

[maddezmom]

9. Bloomberg questions the decision

NEW YORK - Cell phone service was disabled inside the four tunnels leading into Manhattan after the terrorist bombings in London, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday questioned whether the move "makes the most sense."

Cell phones have been used to detonate explosives in Madrid and elsewhere. But cutting off cell service in tunnels beneath the Hudson and East rivers means drivers can't dial 911 in an emergency.

"I don't know if it makes the most sense," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "Cell phones provide a measure of comfort."

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs area transit hubs, bridges and tunnels, decided last Thursday to indefinitely sever power to transmitters providing wireless service in the Holland and Lincoln tunnels, spokesman Tony Ciavolella said Monday.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050712/ap_on_re_us/cell_phones_tunnels;_

[BrightKnight]

13. Madrid triggered by preset alarms in phones set to vibration

The Madrid explosions were apparently triggered by preset alarms on cell phones set to vibration. Disabling the communications network will not defeat an alarm clock.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050712/ap_on_re_us/cell_phones_tunnels

[54anickel]

14. They have to know this stuff - so why the blackout of service? Seems

like more fear-mongering than anything else. Gotta make it look like they're doing something, I suppose.

Certainly appears to be a poor decision, though. Not very well thought out. Cutting off cellular communication will hardly stop a determined "terrorist", but it will certainly cause problems for anyone trying to report an emergency.

[rolleitreks]

10. Good. Now let's disable the rest of the network. n/t

[TheWatcher]

16. Oh, yes, such a productive idea

:eyes:

[Generator]

11. So ?

Does that affect the ability of "camera phones" to take pictures or not?

[SaveAmerica]

17. That was my first thought too, will investigators, news channels etc.

have the ability to complete investigations, newscasts if camera phones are disabled? Does that disable video ability?

[BlueStateBlue]

12. I took the ferry into Manhattan today from NJ

as I do whenever I have to go into the city for work. There were cops all over, checking bags, then doing a walkthrough before the ferry took off. I have been using this ferry for at least ten years, and I've NEVER seen a police presence. After 9/11 there was an armed National Guard stationed by the supports under the helix that leads into the Lincoln Tunnel; none today though. Hmmmm....

[greblc]

15. Why not? It seems like a small measure but...

If there is a history of triggering bombs with them it makes sense. If a bomb was triggered in a tunnel using this method you'd wonder why they hadn't done this sooner.

[ConfuZed]

21. So they'll use sat phones :)

[high density]

18. Yep the terrorists have won, yet again.

Let's just seal off the tunnels since it seems that the vehicles which drive through the tunnels could have bombs and suicidal drivers in them.

[pinniped]

23. Just shut down all the commuter tunnels so there is no more...

attractive target.

Problem solved.

[truthisfreedom]

24. of course they are shutting off communications. they can't afford to have

anyone capture any pictures of the truth and transmit them before they can "clean" the evidence.

[ColonelTom]

25. Great. Now they don't even need a bomb.

There are any number of terrorist scenarios I can think of that have just been facilitated by this asinine policy decision. I'm staying out of the tunnels until they turn the phones back on.

[RobinA]

27. Ummmm...

The tunnels existed long before there was cell phone service, yet civilization somehow survived. I am very anti-much of what passes for "security" in today's terror hysteria, but if this is a method that bombers are using to detonate bombs, it seems sorta minor and even somewhat sensible.

I'm not sure how much it adds to emergency response to have 2,000 cell phones calls being made from the scene.

[thebigidea]

28. not the only thing that doesn't work - neither do the police radios!

apparently the aboveground radios operate on different frequencies than the underground ones, and they can't communicate with each other.

years after the day that supposedly "changed everything," they're still fucking around with crap like this.

the footdragging will only be revealed and bitched about AFTER some awful subway attack and the communications chaos that will ensue. They'll get huge budget increases for FUCKING UP.

[MGKrebs]

30. self delete.