Newswise — Steve Wicker, Cornell professor of electrical and computer engineering, discusses the recent disruption of mobile phone service by the Bay Area Rapid Transit System and service providers. He is writing a book, “Cellular Convergence and the Threat to Speech and Privacy,” to be published by Oxford University Press.
He says:
“Cell phones are becoming increasingly prominent platforms for speech in a variety of forms and contexts. Consequently, the disruption of cell phone service by the Bay Area Rapid Transit System in an effort to prevent protests over a shooting by BART police has generated widespread concern over First Amendment speech rights.
“The role of cellular communication in recent protests and revolts throughout the world puts cellular communication in the place once held by printing presses and fax machines in the revolutionary toolkit.
“The fact that this important speech platform depends on networking infrastructure – infrastructure that is controlled by service providers – creates a freedom of speech issue. Cellular service providers can quickly terminate service to an individual or to geographic regions as small as a neighborhood or as large as a country. The interruption of service during the Egyptian revolution of 2011 is a recent example.
“BART’s disruption of coverage raises serious questions about citizen rights to prominent speech platforms. Service providers should not be allowed to exercise prior restraint on speech by simply pulling the plug on cellular service.”
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