Cell phone users in Sandy-affected areas advised to limit calls for now

Consumer Reports News: October 31, 2012 09:38 AM

If you've made cell-phone calls in the past few days, you may have noticed sub-par quality and even encountered the dreaded "all circuits are busy" message. Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski announced yesterday that superstorm Sandy knocked a fourth of all cell-phone towers out of commission.

That may not be the end of the damage, because of possible additional flooding and snowfall in what the FCC terms a "core area" of 10 states, from Virginia to Massachusetts.

As of the FCC's press conference yesterday, approximately a quarter of cable customers are also without service, including both broadband and television.

While these communications emergencies continue, the FCC advises that you limit nonessential calls; instead, text or use social-media platforms such as Twitter, which will help keep cellular networks uncongested for priority calls.

See our advice for How your electronics devices can help in emergencies.

Source:
Sandy Damages About a Quarter of Cellular Towers in Storm-Affected Regions [The Wall Street Journal]

—Carol Mangis