Most of the laws (as summarized on the page) seem to address only interfering with a person making a call ("it is a crime for batterers to prevent their victims from making a call for help") or interrupting the service (prank calls?). If BART is the one providing the service (or at least the communications medium), it'd be harder to say they are interfering. They simply stopped offering the service. Also, it's pretty rare for an agency like BART to be charged with crimes.
The worst that's likely to happen is someone sues them, but good luck proving damages.
I'm pretty sure being able to use your cell phone to dial 911 is a basic human right in America.
You can pick up any cellphone that has a battery in it, regardless of contract status, and call 911. That is of course unless you ride BART during a protest, a time when you are much more likely to be in need of emergency services.
Sure, given that you have reception. Is BART obligated to provide you reception?
If you say yes, how about the USFS? When I'm up in the mountains in land managed by the USFS, I cannot always place a 911 call. Can I sue the USFS for obstructing one of my most basic human rights, access to rapid sophisticated medical response?
What's funny about all this is that cutting off communication stops people from calling in emergency, thus preventing life saving services from arriving at the scene in a timely manner. "shutdown the cellphone service for the safety of everyone". Sounds reminiscent of President Hosni Mubarak's plan of stopping the protest by shutting down cellphone and internet.
We need to hurry up and give our government the ability to have an Internet off switch, you know, for the safety of everyone.
If I buy a cellphone jammer and run it on my property near a government building because there is a protest going on... for the safety of everyone. I would be immediately arrested upon discovery of what I was doing.
Some states seem to have laws preventing this sort of thing since it would interfere with 911 calls. http://www.cga.ct.gov/2002/rpt/2002-R-0891.htm
Not sure about California.
Most of the laws (as summarized on the page) seem to address only interfering with a person making a call ("it is a crime for batterers to prevent their victims from making a call for help") or interrupting the service (prank calls?). If BART is the one providing the service (or at least the communications medium), it'd be harder to say they are interfering. They simply stopped offering the service. Also, it's pretty rare for an agency like BART to be charged with crimes.
The worst that's likely to happen is someone sues them, but good luck proving damages.
Didn't you hear? Amendment 28, which establishes cell phone service as a basic human right.
I'm pretty sure being able to use your cell phone to dial 911 is a basic human right in America.
You can pick up any cellphone that has a battery in it, regardless of contract status, and call 911. That is of course unless you ride BART during a protest, a time when you are much more likely to be in need of emergency services.
Sure, given that you have reception. Is BART obligated to provide you reception?
If you say yes, how about the USFS? When I'm up in the mountains in land managed by the USFS, I cannot always place a 911 call. Can I sue the USFS for obstructing one of my most basic human rights, access to rapid sophisticated medical response?
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What's funny about all this is that cutting off communication stops people from calling in emergency, thus preventing life saving services from arriving at the scene in a timely manner. "shutdown the cellphone service for the safety of everyone". Sounds reminiscent of President Hosni Mubarak's plan of stopping the protest by shutting down cellphone and internet.
We need to hurry up and give our government the ability to have an Internet off switch, you know, for the safety of everyone.
If I buy a cellphone jammer and run it on my property near a government building because there is a protest going on... for the safety of everyone. I would be immediately arrested upon discovery of what I was doing.