[ARRL-OK] RE: [OCAPA] Senate Looks at Benefits of Satellite Phones inDisasterZones

[Earl Claus]

1.  Time for ARRL to step up.
2.  Why have I not seen ARRL soliciting on TV for donations right and radio
up there with Red Cross and Salvation Army?
3.  ARRL needs to be more visible in Congress.
4.  ARRL, ARRL, and ARRL.
5.  One last time: ARRL.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ocapa-bounces at mailman.qth.net 
> [mailto:ocapa-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of D C *Mac* 
> Macdonald
> Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2005 10:59 AM
> To: ClayMayrose at aol.com; ocapa at mailman.qth.net; 
> arrl-ok at mailman.qth.net; CentralOKARES at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: RE: [OCAPA] Senate Looks at Benefits of Satellite 
> Phones inDisasterZones
> 
> Somebody ought to tell these dimwit senators and FCC 
> dipsticks that the amount of channels available on satellite 
> phones is next to nothing compared to cellular and can NOT  
> be relied on for the massive amounts of comm needed in a disaster.
> 
> We know from the 1995 Murrah bombing that cellular companies 
> have portable cellsites that can be set up in a reasonable 
> time frame.  Sure, it isn't immediate, but the only emergency 
> comm that is available almost immediately is amateur radio.
> 
> This is just more posturing by intellectual midgets in the 
> hope that it will help them get reelected.
> 
> D C "Mac" Macdonald, K2GKK
> 
> 
> 
> ----Original Message Follows----
> From: ClayMayrose at aol.com
> To: ocapa at mailman.qth.net,
> arrl-ok at mailman.qth.net,CentralOKARES at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: [OCAPA] Senate Looks at Benefits of Satellite Phones 
> in DisasterZones
> Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 03:03:21 EDT
> 
>  >From  Space.com
> 
> Senate Looks at Benefits of  Satellite Phones in Disaster Zones
> 
> By  Missy Frederick
> Space News Staff Writer
> 
> 
> WASHINGTON
> 
> The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications  Commission
> (FCC) told lawmakers Sept. 22 that satellite technology has a 
> key  role to play in disaster relief efforts due to the 
> vulnerability of terrestrial communications infrastructure.
> 
> "If we learned anything from Hurricane Katrina, it is that we 
> cannot rely solely on terrestrial communications," Kevin 
> Martin told members of the Senate Commerce, Science and 
> Transportation Committee. "When radio towers are knocked 
> down, satellite communications are, in some instances, the 
> most  effective means of communicating."
> 
> Martin was one of several witnesses at a hearing called to 
> evaluate the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of 
> communications available to relief organizations in the 
> aftermath of Katrina, which knocked out terrestrial 
> infrastructure in the coastal areas of Louisiana and 
> Mississippi. The damage  report included telephone lines of 
> almost 3 million customers knocked down,
> 38 emergency 9-1-1 call centers disabled, more than 25 
> million calls failed and  hundreds of thousands of customers 
> without cable television, Martin said.  Through the chaos, 
> however, satellite telephones were effective, he said.
> 
> Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) pushed Martin to elaborate on the 
> point that satellite networks, while often relatively 
> expensive and difficult to  establish, are more resilient 
> than terrestrial systems.
> 
> "So we should consider satellite communications as a part of 
> our overall solution in response to disasters?" McCain asked.
> 
> "That's correct," Martin said.
> 
> If McCain was sold, so was Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.).  "I 
> certainly agree with Senator McCain about the value of 
> satellite phones and  their resilience," Sununu said.
> 
> But some lawmakers remain unconvinced of the reliability of 
> satellite communications.
> 
> "My personal experience with satellite phones was that it was 
> pretty spotty," said Sen. David Vitter (R-La.).
> 
> Martin said because of the potential problems with 
> connectivity, satellite technology is best suited as a back 
> up to terrestrial networks. The  ideal scenario is to have 
> integrated networks in which calls are automatically  
> rerouted to satellites when terrestrial nodes are damaged, he said.
> 
> "I think that might be a more effective way to ensure 
> everyone still has coverage," Martin said.
> 
> U.S. cellular phone service provider Cingular Wireless has a 
> satellite-based network augmentation system under development 
> and tested it out during Katrina.  Paul Roth, executive vice 
> president for external affairs and public relations at 
> Atlanta-based Cingular, referred to the system as the  
> company's "worst-case scenario"
> communications solution.
> 
> Cingular's Project Pegasus entails using a truck-mounted 
> satellite dish, antennas and other equipment to allow 
> Cingular phones to operate in areas where the local cellular 
> towers have been knocked out of operation,  Roth said during 
> the hearing.  Two prototypes were delivered to New Orleans 
> for use during the storm's aftermath, and another was being 
> shipped to San Antonio, Texas, in anticipation of Hurricane 
> Rita, he said.
> 
> "Pegasus should be deployed in an emergency in key locations 
> throughout the U.S.," Roth said.
> 
> Some senators questioned whether non-terrestrial forms of 
> communications are appropriately equipped to dial 9-1-1 
> during disasters.  But Sununu said this might not be the 
> highest priority for satellite phones.
> 
> "We want to make sure we're encouraging innovation and new 
> ideas rather than just saying everyone needs to participate 
> in the system as it is,"  Sununu said.
> 
> The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a second hearing 
> on communications for first responders for Sept.  29.
> 
> 
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