General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why Cell Phones Went Dead After Hurricane Sandy - horrifying. [View all]retread
(3,762 posts)why sites failed in this disaster. I'm sure you are aware backhaul is critical. If the all land lines are down there is a good chance the telco CO's are in trouble or at least major fiber hubs.
Backup generators bring their own sets of problems, foremost is environmental. Not to mention living in an area where one of these monsters fires off and runs for a while and test runs are required on a regular basis. I wouldn't call one it "humming", the noise is tremendous.
However to say ". I'm pretty much on the cell phone companies' side on this one" is something I would NEVER say!!
Verizon and ATT have devoured smaller cell companies, replacing the equipment with their own favorite brand, ripped out local switches, and backhauled networks to giant switches remote from the networks they switch, laying off tons of skilled workers in the process. Not to even mention their huge contributions to tea bag candidates. All of this costs big bucks and is also reflected on your bill. For these reasons alone I would NEVER say I am on their side.