Wireless Communication in Boston’s Tunnels Service available by mid-2007 Massachusetts drivers will be able to continue their telephone conversations underground due to a project designed to provide wireless communication to the Big Dig Tunnels by Summer 2007. The Boston Globe reports that the project has been in the works since 2001 but required the teamwork of cell phone carriers to foot the bill. Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Cingular and Sprint Nextel have agreed to come together to split the cost of the project, allowing cell phone service to be extended for both the convenience and the safety of area drivers.
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  shimonmorPremium
join:2000-12-30
Sedro Woolley, WA | Safety? How will this project provide safety for drivers?
Or is it for the safety of Senator Morrissey (so he doesn't get lynched by his constituents)?
"I got tired of listening to the complaints," said state Senator Michael Morrissey of Quincy. | |
|  |  JeffreyWilpon please sell the MetsPremium
join:2002-12-24
Long Island
kudos:3 | Re: Safety? Well, in case another piece of the roof falls to the roadway and creates at best a jam or at worst death(s), getting cell phone capability in there couldn't hurt. | |
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Jonbo298
join:2004-01-12
Council Bluffs, IA | Split the cost by.. Having an automated message come on saying "If you would like to continue the call in this tunnel, please press 1 to accept the charges. Press 2 to end the call. Thank you"  | |
| | | | Re: Split the cost by.. said by Jonbo298:Having an automated message come on saying "If you would like to continue the call in this tunnel, please press 1 to accept the charges. Press 2 to end the call. Thank you" The cell phone carriers are more likely to auto bill you a Big Dig Tunnel fee per call / min. | |
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Reviews:
 ·Cox HSI
| Cell Safety I can see the safety aspect. A security guard has to be awake and looking at closed circuit black and white monitors to notice if anything has gone wrong.
With everyone having a cell, everyone is able to immediately call for help. I have heard of reports of 911 operators getting swamped by calls, but I think this is a good thing. I would think that the "swamping" would tell indirectly how big of a problem there is and how large the problem is impacting people.
I have personally seen accidents on the freeway happen right in front of me. Within seconds I was able to call 911 and reports the crash. All I can imagine is that by calling immediately and not waiting for an Officer to figure out why traffic is backing up and then working their way to the crash site to finally call for an ambulance..... IMO cell coverage is saving lives - even if the crash gets reports 9 ga-zillion times over by every rubber neck'er.
Technology allows for cell phone location, which can only help in reporting accidents/crashes/ceilings falling down.
I was just thinking of what happened in Britain in the tunnels. If I remember right, people were able to use their cells to call for help, use the screen as an emergency flash light, and to video record what happened down there.
I think that Homeland Security should embrace cell phones as part of that layered last defence, and not be in such a hurry to shut off cell sites where they think something might possibly could happen. I want to be able to call for help, and receive it - that is my right to security! Whether I am having a heart attack, getting mugged, car crash, or even as chicken little as the sky falls. | |
| | | | Re: Cell Safety said by averagedude:I can see the safety aspect. A security guard has to be awake and looking at closed circuit black and white monitors to notice if anything has gone wrong. With everyone having a cell, everyone is able to immediately call for help. I have heard of reports of 911 operators getting swamped by calls, but I think this is a good thing. I would think that the "swamping" would tell indirectly how big of a problem there is and how large the problem is impacting people. I have personally seen accidents on the freeway happen right in front of me. Within seconds I was able to call 911 and reports the crash. All I can imagine is that by calling immediately and not waiting for an Officer to figure out why traffic is backing up and then working their way to the crash site to finally call for an ambulance..... IMO cell coverage is saving lives - even if the crash gets reports 9 ga-zillion times over by every rubber neck'er. Technology allows for cell phone location, which can only help in reporting accidents/crashes/ceilings falling down. I was just thinking of what happened in Britain in the tunnels. If I remember right, people were able to use their cells to call for help, use the screen as an emergency flash light, and to video record what happened down there. I think that Homeland Security should embrace cell phones as part of that layered last defence, and not be in such a hurry to shut off cell sites where they think something might possibly could happen. I want to be able to call for help, and receive it - that is my right to security! Whether I am having a heart attack, getting mugged, car crash, or even as chicken little as the sky falls. But have many people call form the same place can over load the cell tower. | |
| | | | Yea, at my center wehn there is a crash we get anywhere from 10-50 911 calls right after a crash on the interstate which is ok because if nobody called then the people could die. | |
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ddwibb
join:2004-09-02
Holyoke, MA | Poor Boston I live in the poorest city in New England, Holyoke, in the western part of Mass. We send more money to Boston in taxes than we get back. Holyoke is near bankruptcy, crumbling buildings are collapsing into the streets, and Boston could care less. | |
| | | | Re: Poor Boston I agree with you. Western MA (in fact any place west of Rte 128 does not exist to most, if not all of the politicians in Boston. Why does 3/4 of the state have to pay for some project that most of us will never, ever use? | |
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| | No Working Fire Alarms in the Tunnel Interesting how this announcement comes right about the time that Gov. Romney announced the findings about the Big Dig investigation. They found that the fire alarm system in the tunnels never worked right, and in fact was shut off. When asked what to they rely on for reports of problems, the response was "cell phones and cameras". Lets see what gets working first- the cell phones or the fire alarm system in the tunnels.... | |
| | | |  Hope something like this coming to the Washington DC Metro
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