Cell Phones at the Tulsa State Fair

[patric]

While it's reasonable to expect overloaded cell towers when you have several thousand people in one area, the failure of cell service at the fairgrounds is being blamed on just one tower.  The unlikeliness of all carriers being blacked out by one tower has apparently given rise to rumors that cell phone service at the fairgrounds were shut down to keep kids in line:

"There is no block. We haven't set up and jammers.
We are all dealing with the same issues," said Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Major Shannon Clark.  They don't have the clearance to jam a cell phone tower.
http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/Reason-for-bad-cell-service-at-Fair/qZhlND0g2Eup87X4tajKFA.cspx



"Clearance" to jam a cell phone tower?

While it seems a bit extreme (especially for anyone needing to call 911), there seems to be precedent, though:

Tony Dokoupil reports on the little-known rules the government can use to shut down phone networks.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/05/16/on-the-eve-of-the-nato-summit-is-phone-jamming-coming-to-chicago.html

To ward off protests, authorities in Chicago are considering cutting off access to cellphone networks and social-media sites during the city's G-8 and NATO summits.  While the tactic is usually associated with digital dictators abroad—and the Obama administration has sharply criticized such interruptions, even proposing sanctions against countries that curb their peoples' wireless freedom—shutdowns are a creeping American phenomenon as well.

Not only do the FBI and Secret Service have standing authority to jam signals, but they along with state and local authorities can also push for the shutdown of cell towers, thanks to a little-known legacy of the Bush administration: "Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 303," which lays out the nation's official "Emergency Wireless Protocols."

So when would a shutdown occur? The precedents vary. In 2009, as President Obama was inaugurated, federal authorities used special equipment to jam signals in downtown Washington, citing the threat of remote-controlled bombs. Last summer, in response to the less catastrophic risk of a potentially violent protest following a police shooting, San Francisco transit officials shut off underground wireless service for three hours—a move the ACLU has said was the first and only known time a government agency in the U.S. has blocked electronic communications as a way to quell social unrest.

While it's against the law for individuals or nongovernmental organizations to sell or use jammers, the devices are easily found online. The U.S. military was among the first to use communications shutdowns, and local government demand for the technology has been building for years, even as the legal rules for its use have remained ill-defined. Prison wardens want to snuff out the use of smuggled cellphones by inmates; school officials hope to disable students' phones; the National Transportation Safety Board wants to disable all "portable electronic devices within reach of the driver" while cars are in motion.

Everyone seems to agree that government wireless shutdowns should be legal in certain circumstances, but defining those circumstances proves to be a vexing problem. So far there are only arguments, not answers about how to weigh free speech against security concerns. The head of BART calls shutdowns "a necessary tool to protect passengers." Two law-enforcement organizations, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriffs' Association, urged the creation of a study group, suggesting SOP 303 as the standard to beat. Boeing asked the FCC to support the use of "wireless management devices" made by one of its subsidiaries, calling them a "nuanced, low-impact alternative" to widespread shutdowns.

The ACLU, Verizon, and a coalition of public-interest groups noted that cellphone blackouts would, with few exceptions, violate the Constitution and federal communication law, as well as threaten public safety by eliminating the means to share vital information or call 911.

[Conan71]

Happens every year at the Hotter 'N' Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls right around the area of the MPEC.  Too many people on one tower.

[YoungTulsan]

Everyone seems to agree that government wireless shutdowns should be legal in certain circumstances,

Uhm... No we don't.

[nathanm]

Uhm... No we don't.

Abolish the FCC and spectrum licensing!

[Townsend]

TW post:

A temporary restraining order was granted Tuesday by a judge to stop a vendor at the Tulsa State Fair from offering teeth whitening services.

I hope people were able to call family or friends to get an opinion on getting teeth whitening done at the Tulsa State Fair.

[Ed W]

I remembered seeing this:

An illegal, Orwellian violation of free-speech rights? Or just a smart tactic to protect train passengers from rowdy would-be demonstrators during a busy evening commute?

The question resonated Saturday in San Francisco and beyond as details emerged of Bay Area Rapid Transit officials' decision to cut off underground cellphone service for a few hours at several stations Thursday. Commuters at stations from downtown to near the city's main airport were affected as BART officials sought to tactically thwart a planned protest over the recent fatal shooting of a 45-year-old man by transit police.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/15/bart-cell-phone-shutdown-free-speech_n_927294.html

It's not hard to block a cell phone tower.  All it takes is a strong nearby transmitter.  It doesn't even have to be on the same frequency as the cellphones.  Strong RF signals overload the receiver front end, attenuating all other signals down into the noise.

I read a proposal once for a device that would block cellular phones in theaters, but the FCC hasn't approved it because it's basically a powerful transmitter.

Also, there's a more subtle approach coming from Apple and probably other cellular phone manufacturers.  Using GPS data, they can selectively disable certain applications on your phone, perhaps blocking calls or video in theaters, or blocking the ability to take photos in museums or political events.  It's technologically possible, but the implications for free speech and civil liberties are worrisome.

[Red Arrow]

I read a proposal once for a device that would block cellular phones in theaters, but the FCC hasn't approved it because it's basically a powerful transmitter.

That reminds me of when I blocked a co-worker's favorite radio station (not my favorite) by hanging a test lead off the back of a signal generator and tuning it to the same frequency as the radio station.

[sgrizzle]

Just went today, my cell phone was basically useless.

[Hoss]

Just went today, my cell phone was basically useless.

Haven't been to the fair since before the turn of the century.  Really have no desire to ever go again, especially after how the whole Bell's thing was handled.

[patric]

It's not hard to block a cell phone tower.  All it takes is a strong nearby transmitter.  It doesn't even have to be on the same frequency as the cellphones. 

Probably easier than that, like a string of Microcells all tied into a LAN that fools them into thinking it's connected to the internet.
Cell phones would handshake with those instead of a weaker signal from a legitimate cell tower.
The potential for interfering with emergency calls should dissuade any responsible persons (or agencies) from attempting it.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Haven't been to the fair since before the turn of the century.  Really have no desire to ever go again, especially after how the whole Bell's thing was handled.

I gotta go to see the heavy horse sled pull. 

And eat an Indian Taco.

[sgrizzle]

Haven't been to the fair since before the turn of the century.  Really have no desire to ever go again, especially after how the whole Bell's thing was handled.

I boycotted after Bells but Ms. Randi "If you think Bells is going to be a parking lot you're misinformed" is long gone and the kids enjoy going.

[Hoss]

I boycotted after Bells but Ms. Randi "If you think Bells is going to be a parking lot you're misinformed" is long gone and the kids enjoy going.

I boycott for other reasons than just that, but the way the county mishandled that whole fiasco pretty much cinched it for me.

[sgrizzle]

I boycott for other reasons than just that, but the way the county mishandled that whole fiasco pretty much cinched it for me.

You should go to see the one lonely person in the "Yes to Vision2" booth, right next to Bridenstine's booth.