Pols’ good ‘call’ in emergencies

THE U.S. Senate has passed a bill that would require cell phones to work on other carriers’ networks during natural disasters.

The Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved the Securing Access to Networks in Disasters Act, pushed by Sen. Chuck Schumer, which aims to shore up phone networks that often break down during emergencies from Superstorm Sandy in New York to Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Irma in Florida.

The bill would also establish a system for 911 calls to be transmitted over Wi-Fi.

“The Senate rightly answered the call by putting the SANDy Act on speed dial,” Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. “Dependable and redundant cell phone service is a necessity for emergency workers and a lifeline for residents left without power.”

The legislation still has to pass the House. It passed the House in a previous session, but had not passed the Senate until this week.