Eight long hours

Everyone, it seems, noticed that during Hurricane Katrina, the cell phone system was gone with the wind (and the waves). In response to the experience of Katrina and a number of other natural and man-made disasters, the FCC has now mandated that all cell towers come with back-up power for at least eight hours of operation after the electric power distribution grid goes down. It's not as simple as just sticking a diesel generator at the foot of each tower--different towers have generation and storage requirements that range from hydrogen fuel cells to lead-acid batteries to diesel generators. While the requirements are different, the financial burden is estimated to be uniformly high, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 in additional costs for every cell tower in the U.S. That's a lot of money, whether it's being counted on grid or backup power.

For more on the new FCC requirements:
- Read the regulation analysis at WirelessWeek