August Solar Eclipse Could Disrupt Roads and Cellular Networks

GeoGreg writes: On August 21, 2017, the contiguous United States will experience its first total solar eclipse since 1979. According to GreatAmericanEclipse.com's Michael Zeiler, approximately 200 million people live within one day's drive of the eclipse. Zeiler projects that between 1.85 to 7.4 million people will attempt to visit the path of totality. As the eclipse approaches, articles are appearing predicting the possibility of automobile traffic jamming rural roads. There is also concern about the ability of rural cellular networks to handle such a large influx. AT&T is bringing in Cell On Wheel (COW) systems to rural locations in Kentucky, Idaho, and Oregon, while Verizon is building a temporary tower in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The disruption could be frustrating to those trying to get to the eclipse or share their photos via social networking. If cellular networks can't handle the data, apps like Waze won't be much help in avoiding the traffic. If communication is essential near the eclipse path, Astronomy Magazine recommends renting a satellite phone.

Comments

Or

[KeensMustard]

You know, take a photo and share it on instagram later?

Maybe not everything is a crisis.

Re:Or

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem is that it's hard to keep up basic services when lots of people are using the network. Emergency lines, navigation and texting are essential for people's safety and should be available all the time.

Re:Or

[x0ra]

Cell phone widespread use is recent, people weren't dropping dead before that. (yes, I know, it's difficult to realize that such times ever existed)...

Re: Or

[Highdude702]

People had land lines in their car when they were driving through rural parts of the country? Jeez that's news to me! Thank you for telling me. Dumbass

Re: Or

[ShanghaiBill]

People living along the road had landlines, and now many of them do not. Also, in the olden days we had "phone booths" and "pay phones" which no longer exist.

Anyway, I think this "crisis" is overblown. When networks are congested, casual users drop off, and important calls can get through with persistence. 911 calls have priority. Text msgs need far less bandwidth than voice.

These predictions of mass congestion usually fizzle. Does anyone remember Carmaggedon, when LA highways were supposed to freeze up with massive congestion? Traffic that day was actually lighter than normal.

Also I question how many people are really going to travel to see an eclipse. They aren't that exciting.

Re:Or

[Anonymous Coward]

Navigation? It's called a map. Print one out before you leave. Even today, 99% of my navigation is performed before I leave. And in the rare occasion I get lost, if I didn't have a phone to fall back on, I'd stop and ask for directions.

And texting, really? No. Just no.

Emergency lines are the only one I'll give you as essential for peoples safety. And to keep those available all that needs to happen is selfish twats in the middle of nowhere need to lighten up on their smartphone navigation and texting a little. You're going to have to go camping to see this thing, unplug for a little, enjoy nature.

Re:Or

[Anonymous Coward]

Fuck that, keep this shits in their house where they belong.

Re: Or

[Anonymous Coward]

So what you are saying is that the warnings worked!

People were discouraged from driving, so there were no problems.

Now if the traffic had been normal or higher, and there were no problems, you might gave a point.

Re: Or

[wyHunter]

Living in a very unpopulated state, I can say: Many of us have land lines because cell networks are not reliable NOW.

Re:Or

[david_thornley]

One eclipse photo is going to look like every other eclipse photo. None of them are anything like the real experience.

Re: Or

[Anonymous Coward]

Over a million people are expected to travel to washington state alone. This is a once or twice in a lifetime event.

Nice headline

[93 Escort Wagon]

So to be clear (since not everyone reads even the summary), the eclipse itself is not affecting roads or cellular networks at all - as any reasonable person would already understand. The headline simply refers to the possibility that rural cell networks might get overwhelmed by the surge in traffic.

So no different, really, than any other large rural gathering... except possibly in scale.

Re:Nice headline

[AHuxley]

Telcos upgrade their networks due to more people using network :)

Re:Nice headline

[Hognoxious]

A bit like Burning Man, then? I think we should bring in Bennett Haselton on this one. From ice to parking, he's got that sorted.

Re: Nice headline

[Maritz]

Thank you for your contribution. You can wipe the rabid spit from your chin now. Calm down buddy.

Re:Nice headline

[Anonymous Coward]

not everyone reads even the summary

But they'll all surely read your comment in particular, clarifying the story. Karma whore.

Re: Nice headline

[Anonymous Coward]

Lighten up, Francis.

Re:Nice headline

[RedShoeRider]

Iowa tests this every summer with their RAGBRAI event. It's interesting what happens.

Picture: 10k to 20k people descending on rurual, towns with a standing population of often less than 5k. What happens is this:

5am: Full 4G signal, roughly as fast as any other day. Voice calls are normal.
6am: Email still sort of loads, forget streaming anything. Voice calls are normal.
6:30am: Voice is getting sketchy.
8am: Forget it. Data is shot, Voice might connect.
8:33am: Voice works again
8:40: Voice is shot again. Data is a joke.
10am: Everything starts working again as people start to leave the town.


Why the little window at 8:33am? As someone else pointed out- people give up and put the phones away. However, when they see that some people are having a conversation, they assume that everything is back to normal, jump back on...and wipe the system out again.

Re: Nice headline

[mapkinase]

I am afraid that this will create a problem even largere than Y2K.

PAX

[darkain]

Have you ever gone to any of the PAX conventions? It'll be just like that (in terms of technical infrastructure usage)

Wrong headline

[Anonymous Coward]

The headline is all wrong. "Lots of people on road designed for lower number of people may cause congestion" is closer to it - although ignoring the similar for phone congestion

Hmm

[Anonymous Coward]

Jackson Hole, isn't that a bit out-of-the-way?

Re:Hmm

[Anonymous Coward]

Jackson Hole is where Dart... Dick Cheney keeps his Summer home. It would not do to have his vital communications disrupted while the Moon...

That's no Moon...

Re:Hmm

[Opportunist]

So Dick spends his Summer in the Hole?

Sounds dirty, somehow. Dunno why.

Re:Hmm

[Thud457]

Moffett is 28.3 minutes closer.

So what

[ickleberry]

A few million dumbfucks won't be able to use their phones for a few minutes/hours. This is a disaster scenario that companies are planning for well in advance? If you are so important that you can't be missed for a few hours while you go to see an eclipse obviously you shouldn't be going at all.

Re: So what

[Anonymous Coward]

This is why net neutrality is bad. Cellular networks should be able to give a lower priority to people traveling to view the solar eclipse. Using QoS would ensure that the influx of traffic wouldn't prevent essential services from being cut off. However, cellular providers don't have the ability to do this because of net neutrality. This is precisely why net neutrality needs to be abolished.

Re: So what

[Maritz]

This is why net neutrality is bad. Cellular networks should be able to give a lower priority to people traveling to view the solar eclipse. Using QoS would ensure that the influx of traffic wouldn't prevent essential services from being cut off. However, cellular providers don't have the ability to do this because of net neutrality. This is precisely why net neutrality needs to be abolished.

A troll like this has more chance in its own thread. Sorry for outing you.

By the way, when you were typing, you might have noticed a little red squiggly line under 'traveling'. That's because you spelled it wrong.

Re: So what

[Megane]

By the way, when you were typing, you might have noticed a little red squiggly line under 'traveling'. That's because you spelled it wrong.

No squiggly line here. How did you think it should be spelled? With two 'l's? Because that gives a squiggly line for me. What's next, adding a silent 'u' to 'color'?

Re:So what

[thegarbz]

If you are so important that you can't be missed

Who said can't be missed? The summary says unable to handle cell traffic. That implies potential issues with contacting emergency services as well. It also gives example of data related issues which may have noting at all to do with the eclipse or people who may not be interested in watching them.

Some people have different needs than you do. I'm glad to see companies planning ahead rather than taking the "fuck customers" approach you are advocating. Do you by any chance work for an ISP?

Re:So what

[AmiMoJo]

I guess it's less of an issue in the US, but in Japan where they have regular natural disasters the networks are prepared for this. They have a lot of public wifi to back it up, and the normally commercial paid networks automatically switch to free mode in the event of a major earthquake etc. Even the vending machines often have a wifi AP that activates, and if the situation is on-going can switch to free-vend mode.

I was there in March 2011, and was able to send email within a couple of minutes of the big one hitting.

Re: So what

[Anonymous Coward]

The thing you're saying was a troll was funny... You're more likely the flame bait

Re:So what

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

Not that simple. Every one assumes the reliability of these communications network and design systems around it.

I am closing on a home on Friday. I got some paperwork from mortgage lender on Tuesday at around 1 PM, with a voice mail saying, I need to sign it electronically before midnight, else we miss the closing deadline. 11 hour window? It is a half mill deal, 10K security deposit. Seller has another closing lined up contingent on this sale going through, that is another half mill deal most likely. It is possible the contingent sales have been set up like dominoes many times over. The interest rate went up two weeks back, summer season is coming to a close. Any interruption here would reverberate through.

But they simply assumed, I will get the voice mail, and I will be able to reach a desktop or laptop, will be ale to reach their secure communications server, two factor authenticate using a cell phone, sign and complete the paper work. In an earlier era they might have provided for 24 or even 48 hours for the borrower to show up physically to a specific branch of the bank and sign the paper document in person.

There were some news reports about solar spot activity causing traffic jams. Some solar flare knocked off one communication satellite. Most gas stations were using that satellite for the pay-at-the-pump systems. When people had to pump gas and pay inside the convenience store, the throughput of the gas stations dropped, lines formed, the lines snaked out of the gas stations, starting jamming up turning lanes, leading to a huge traffic jam.

Efficient systems have no cushion left in them to handle unexpected situations.

Re: So what

[jeffporcaro]

I think you may mean that he spelled it incorrectly. An adverb is the correct modifier for a verb. You used an adjective.

Re:So what

[chocho99]

If you have a heart attack - you will appreciate the effort they are making to ensure communications. It's not about convenience - it's about liability.

A few million dumbfucks won't be able to use their phones for a few minutes/hours. This is a disaster scenario that companies are planning for well in advance? If you are so important that you can't be missed for a few hours while you go to see an eclipse obviously you shouldn't be going at all.

Re:So what

[Anonymous Coward]

I believe emergency calls are given priority on the network and will kick someone off a non-emergency call to allow the emergency call through. Nice try, though!

Re:So what

[k6mfw]

won't be able to use their phones for a few minutes/hours.

perhaps this means they can experience the moment of a total eclipse. See how all of sudden it gets very dark, feel temperature of air cool down, see this distinct bright thing in the sky (use proper viewing goggles), notice a band of brightness along the horizon. Put away the stupid phone and seize the moment. Next time it happens in America, you will be worm food.

Don't times change?

[Coisiche]

The only total eclipse I've seen was in Turkey in 2006. Only 11 years ago. I didn't have a smartphone then. All I was interested in was taking photos with my camera and just looking all around to take in the moment (as an aside if you're going to see this one and have never seen a total eclipse before then make sure you do a 360 look at the horizon during totality; worth it). I just didn't feel any need to tell anyone else about it there and then. Other people got to see the photos several days later when I returned to the UK.

Re:Don't times change?

[Anonymous Coward]

Want to share your pics for those of us who won't be able to see it?

Re:Don't times change?

[Maritz]

Times sure do change; Turkey was almost a free country back then.

Re:Don't times change?

[Anonymous Coward]

Any tips for getting good photographs of it? I'm going to go see this one if the weather holds.

Re:Don't times change?

[Coisiche]

Well I'd recommend a tripod if using a camera, or something to keep whatever you're using very steady. I didn't have anything and a few of my shots have a less than circular moon surrounded by the corona. My more sensible friend did bring a tripod and got many more good images.

My attempt at the diamond ring picture at the end of totality didn't work well either. I think that might have been a shortcoming of the digital camera but then they have moved on a bit in the last 11 years.

FP! FP! FP! FP FOR LOVE! FP! FP! FP!

[Anonymous Coward]

FP! FP! FP!

I can't believe it! Two hours and no posts. I'm claiming the first post for the love of my favorite TV show, Star Trek: Voyager!

FP! FP! FP!

I love Star Trek: Voyager! It's the best TV show ever!

FP! FP! FP!

My first posting skills are amazing! I rule! Star Trek: Voyager rules!

FP! FP! FP!

I rule! You all drool!

FP! FP! FP!

Re:FP! FP! FP! FP FOR LOVE! FP! FP! FP!

[Anonymous Coward]

Protip: adjust the pointers below the words 'Fill', 'Abbreviated', and 'Hidden' to change the threshold at which messages are shown.

Lately for me (for about 2-3 weeks or so), that has been fucked up such that it is stuck at +3/+3, and when I try to change it in my account settings, the new setting doesn't get saved. Hey, Whipslash, wtf?

Re:FP! FP! FP! FP FOR LOVE! FP! FP! FP!

[Highdude702]

Have had the same issue for a few months. Stuck at +1/+1. I even sent a bug report to them with no response. It's almost like they're trying to kill slashdot.

Re:FP! FP! FP! FP FOR LOVE! FP! FP! FP!

[Geoffrey.landis]

Lately for me (for about 2-3 weeks or so), that has been fucked up such that it is stuck at +3/+3, and when I try to change it in my account settings, the new setting doesn't get saved. Hey, Whipslash, wtf?

Lucky you, you only get the reasonable comments and not the idiots, clueless, and trolls.

I'm gonna be RICH!!!

[hyades1]

1. Get a nice sound system and a big tent. Head down to the southern US and hold a revival meeting.

2. Claim The Lord is going to put out the Sun if they don't pray hard and give me a lot of money.

3. Profit!

Re: I'm gonna be RICH!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Even in the deep South, you would still be the stupidest person in the tent.

Re: I'm gonna be RICH!!!

[hyades1]

No, that would be the person sucking off the dog in the corner...and that would be you.

Navigation

[DrYak]

Emergency lines, navigation and texting are essential for people's safety and should be available all the time.

Da fuck happened with offline navigation ?

As in maps stored locally on an SD card (even on old SatNav from 15 years ago like Tomtom, or on modern car's infotainment, or by using the "save offline map" function of smartphone apps like Google, or even weird solution like Sailfish OS's OSM Scout Server where the map server *itself* runs on the phone).
And getting the traffic information from any publicly broadcast source (TMC - Traffic Message Channel - over FM-RDS or over DAB, or over whatever you use a digital data transmission on your side of the Atlantic pond).
Or listening to information over plain normal radio ? (Some in-car radio are even designed to automatically switch between radio traffic announcement and whatever you're listening to).

Why does everything has to be constantly online if it's that much critical ?!

Said as an European dweller, who's used to cross national border whenever driving more than a few dozens of Km, and thus used to take offline mapping capability to avoid absurd data roaming costs.
To me it seems absolutely clear that if you need to rely on it, you must be able to make do with dropped signal.

Re: Navigation

[Anonymous Coward]

I know right? Even on platforms like iOS, you can download offline map apps. Maps.me is a really nice one.

Re:Navigation

[sjames]

When the app makers are busy apping their app apps, they tend to forget that the entire network doesn't look like it does in their offices and that there might be places where there is no signal at all. Others are somewhat aware and tell their children scary stories about people who go to those places and aren't heard from for minutes at a time!

Re:Navigation

[Mr D from 63]

I think I have some offline maps stored on paper somewhere.

Re:Navigation

[ShanghaiBill]

I think I have some offline maps stored on paper somewhere.

Unless they are in your car when the network fails, that isn't going to help. Also, paper maps are hard to use because there is no blinking dot that shows your current location.

Re: Navigation

[Anonymous Coward]

Mod post up! . Funny or insightful, dunno which...

Re:Navigation

[Anonymous Coward]

Oddly, online maps are a problem because there's a blinking idiot who doesn't know the current location...

Re:Navigation

[wyHunter]

No, you have to look around and use your spatial perception senses to figure out where you are! Shock, I know.

Re:Navigation

[Solandri]

It's not just about having offline maps. The GPS on a lot of older and lower-end phones is A-GPS (assisted GPS). The processor on the phone would take too long to do the initial position fix calculations. So it transmits the GPS satellite data to the cell tower, a hefty computer on the cell tower quickly does the calculations, and transmits the position back to the phone. Once the phone has the initial position, subsequent position updates are calculated on the phone. Because the calculations for updating the position are a lot simpler than calculating the initial position.

If the cell network goes down or is inaccessible, these devices lose their ability to use GPS unless they were already using it at the time the outage began.

Re:Navigation

[Anonymous Coward]

How are they going to gather information on you if you're not connected? Offering offline options doesn't benefit them.

Re:Navigation

[Cro Magnon]

Might be a problem if I'm driving to relatives in Iowa. One ear of corn looks like any other.

Re:Navigation

[sylvandb]

forget the blinking dot, even if you can figure out where you are on a paper map, that map can't tell you what direction you are going!

Re:Navigation

[Anonymous Coward]

Or... or ... OR

How about this new fangled thing called a "Paper Map".

Re:Navigation

[tipo159]

Funny or insightful is exactly right.

I frequently travel in areas of the PNW where mobile network connectivity is poor to non-existant. A number of common apps are frustratingly dependent on being connected to the network. Also, a lot of people who spend most of their time in places with good connectivity will fail to realize that apps that they depend on do not work without that connectivity.

Re:Navigation

[nigelo]

If your relatives all look a-maize-d in the aural-pickup dept., maybe you should change your name to Corn Magnon.

Re: Navigation

[Anonymous Coward]

Um no. That isnt how assisted gps works. It uses positioning info from the cell tower combined with one or two gps satellites.

Re:Navigation

[wyHunter]

Last I've noticed maps show highways on them, yes? And roads have signage.

Football

[Sooner Boomer]

So, this is a bit like the aftermath of a large college football game in a rural town?

Does This One not Count

[prolitariac]

On August 21, 2017, the contiguous United States will experience its first total solar eclipse since 1979.

Solar eclipse of May 10, 1994 I went and saw it in St Louis. How do they define contiguous U.S.

Re:Does This One not Count

[Anonymous Coward]

That was an annular solar eclipse and not a total solar eclipse. Contiguous is defined as usual.

It makes me wonder...

[argStyopa]

...how we ever managed to enjoy eclipses before cell phones and the internet?

It couldn't even have been possible, could it?

Re:It makes me wonder...

[Anonymous Coward]

But how would you even know there was an eclipse without them?!

Re:It makes me wonder...

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not just eclipses.
It's everything...

Peoples preoccupation with posting everything is getting ridiculous.

FTFY Re:I'm gonna be RICH!!!

[OzPeter]

FTFY

1. Get a nice sound system and a big tent. Head down to the southern US and hold a revival meeting.

2. Claim The Lord is going to put out the Sun if they don't pray hard and give me a lot of money.

3. Prophet!

Re:FTFY Re:I'm gonna be RICH!!!

[hyades1]

Well played, Sir!

Re:FTFY Re:I'm gonna be RICH!!!

[Ol Olsoc]

FTFY

t the Sun if they don't pray hard and give me a lot of money.

3. Prophet!

Dear sir, you have just won the internet!

Huh?

[Ol Olsoc]

Is this a Captain Obvious commercial?

The Queen's English

[Geoffrey.landis]

A troll like this has more chance in its own thread. Sorry for outing you. By the way, when you were typing, you might have noticed a little red squiggly line under 'traveling'. That's because you spelled it wrong.

http://writingexplained.org/tr...

I live near Madras, OR

[Anonymous Coward]

which is very close to "ground zero" for eclipse viewing. We are expecting bazillions of "visitors", and shortages of most all necessities as the
hordes descend. Hospitals are bracing for the worst and have cancelled all vacations for employees during this time frame. Pot shops and alcohol
retailers, groceries and gas stations are all anticipating big business. Cops expecting lots of bad behavior. Roads will be clogged. I won't be
going out of my neighborhood for a few days while all the idiots are here. Oh, and several music promoters have decided to schedule big music
festivals around the eclipse. Sigh ...

not so much the eclipse

[Anonymous Coward]

More the idiots that stop in the middle of the road or just need to compulsively tweet/instagram that they are seeing the same thing everyone across america is seeing.

There is another name for this.

[Anonymous Coward]

Night.

What about Amateur Radio?

[Anonymous Coward]

I am a HAM and I use my radio daily....you could get traffic through that kind of medium as well...

Get ready for facebook live videos

[p51d007]

Where they point their cell phone cameras at the sun, then can't figure out why they STOPPED WORKING.

Paper maps

[DrYak]

Paper maps, compared to a SatNav have a couple of problems :

- A small one :
One needs to know how to read them.

- And a *major one* :
You're not supposed to read while driving, nor fussy around with books and papers.
You're supposed to keep your eyes on the road.
So you need that the person riding shotgun takes care of the maps (and hope is map-litterate enough to be actually able to do it).
(As opposed to a SatNav that handles everything alone and that you can keep within your far aways field of view, like right above of the dashboard)
(Just don't be an idiot, don't stick it in the middle of the front window as most idiots seem to be doing lately).

Re:Paper maps

[david_thornley]

Since the traffic is predicted to be bad, I'd recommend car-pooling to the eclipse. Problem solved!

Re:Paper maps

[Mr D from 63]

Paper maps, compared to a SatNav have a couple of problems :

- A small one : One needs to know how to read them.

- And a *major one* : You're not supposed to read while driving, nor fussy around with books and papers. You're supposed to keep your eyes on the road. So you need that the person riding shotgun takes care of the maps (and hope is map-litterate enough to be actually able to do it). (As opposed to a SatNav that handles everything alone and that you can keep within your far aways field of view, like right above of the dashboard) (Just don't be an idiot, don't stick it in the middle of the front window as most idiots seem to be doing lately).

The obvious advantages are obvious. Thanks for taking time to explain them to everyone thought. I'm sure you have not insulted anybody's intelligence.

Typical Clickbait slashdot.puke article

[Anonymous Coward]

Clickbait title. The solar eclipse itself is not a physical cause of outage or disruption. People are. Move along, nothing to see here.

Wow... first world problems

[Anonymous Coward]

The title says it all...

Only millenials...

[Anonymous Coward]

...could fuck up a solar eclipse.

All the same

[Sir Holo]

Everyone will be trying to share their photo of the exact same thing all at once over LTE or 4G.

This makes a lot of sense.

No. Wait. It doesn't.

Bad traffic

[DrYak]

Since the traffic is predicted to be bad, I'd recommend car-pooling to the eclipse. Problem solved!

Or taking the public transportati....

Oh, wait. United States...
Nevermind.