Many hospitals use cell phones internally and externally for daily operations. Many of their emergency plans assume that they will be available even if local phone service is interrupted, but a little-known case before the US Supreme Court involves secret government plans to shut off cell phone service during emergencies.
According to the brief filed in the case, the FCC has prohibited blacking cell phones and advised state and local law enforcement how important the rule is. DHS, however, appears to be ignoring the prohibition and has actually shut off cell service in emergencies, leaving the public safety in danger, according to the suit.
In an unrelated application, cell phones can also be permanently shut off or “fried” by electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons. Formerly thought to be dreams of sci-fi enthusiasts, recent press releases confirm that US manufacturers have created EMP weapons capable of taking out all electrical devices in a single building up to entire continents. News reports at the Muhammad cartoon competition in Texas included stories about camera crews being told to shut down their equipment while the police used an apparent EMP weapon to disable a suspected bomb device at the scene of the attack.
For more on the Supreme Court case details, see ORIGINAL STORY HERE.