Basicly I'm suggesting that a cell modum would be provided that would give you access to emergency sites, government sites and 911 only.
You could hand them out during national emergencies but they would provide access to anyone whether they had high speed access at home or not.
They would be available at Stores everywhere for a nominal sum but I imagine anyone who wished emergency access especially when power lines (and cable) were down could use them.
Comments (4)
there are lots of "i'm not sure" votes here, probably because cell phones don't use "modums" to communicate at all. they transmit and receive from the cell towers that so many people don't want in their neighborhoods.
computers, like PCs and Apples use things like wi-fi, cable MODEMS or land-line "dial-up" MODEMS to connect to networks for computer communications.
in the event of a widespread power outage, your cable, wi-fi AND cell phones probably would not work. there's a chance that your old, hardwired, "land line" phone on the wall will be the last man standing that might work.
cell phones and their towers often have very little backup power or redundancy in their systems to allow them to work under "crisis" conditions.
it's a neat idea, but i don't think today's technology and tomorrow's futures will get you where you want to go.
better to strive for a more robust cell system, THEN try to get everyone a "free phone."
ps. nothing's free... you'll have to decide who's going to pay for it... and the answer is always... all of the rest of us. remember us next time you ask...
I thought I was making it plain enough. What I meant was that with this free cell modum you could access government and emergency sites with your laptop computer.
Compare this with the family that has a weather radio and short wave radio. In this case they'd have access to the internet.
There maybe something better than a cell modum that I dont know anything about, but such a connection would allow both homeowners and emergency personel to send email, access emergency bulletins, track the storm or evaluate the damage.
I said available in stores for nominal sum. Most emergency equipment for the home owner is available pretty cheaply. But I also pointed out that during an emergency they could or should be handed out.
Finally, this is a brainstorming session supposedly though no brainstorming session I've ever been in blows off peoples ideas as readily as this one.
a apologize for not making MYSELF clear...
cell phones don't use modems, so there's no need to make them available, cheap or not.
cells phones can be had cheap from charities which recycle used phones for use only in emergencies like "911" calls already.