MYNORTHWEST NEWS

City of Seattle urges Seahawks fans to back off cell phone sharing

Sep 4, 2014, 6:35 AM | Updated: 9:29 am

With tens of thousands converging on CenturyLink Field for Thursday’s Seahawks season opener, the mayor’s office is pleading with people to back off on some of their cell phone sharing.

The city is asking people to delay streaming videos, sharing pictures and other data-intensive activities to help preserve bandwidth on local cell networks so emergency phone calls are assured of getting through.

“We’re expecting 20,000 people to join in the festivities,” said Jeff Reading, communications director for Mayor Ed Murray, in a note to MyNorthwest.com. “The cell networks struggle to keep up with crowds this size. Video is one of the most demanding streams on our cell networks – cutting back on this activity may save some bandwidth, which could help the cell network stay up,” he said.

Carriers have done their best to improve service and expand capacity both inside and outside CenturyLink Field.

Verizon spokesman Scott Charleston said the company added an additional cell site near the stadium in the past year, along with a special dedicated network inside CenturyLink Field and enhanced WiFi to better handle data intensive events.

“It’s for just this kind of situation,” he said. “We’re in really good shape. I am confident that our network will be able to handle it.”

Still, the city doesn’t want to take any chances. While a failed Instagram post is an annoyance, someone unable to get through to 911 quickly could be a matter of life or death.

“We wanted to remind people that it may be better to wait to share their photos, stream videos, and other non-essential mobile conversation to better ensure that emergency phone calls on cell phones can get through,” Reading said.

MyNorthwest News

Photo: Lewis and Clark High School students thought quickly to save their track coach's life....

Julia Dallas

Spokane high school students save track coach’s life after his heart stops

Two Spokane high school students used their quick thinking and past training to save their track coach's life last week.

2 hours ago

Image: Brightly colored eggs are set on a table on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington,...

Ted Buehner

Expect good Easter weekend weather for egg hunts, chilly evening Mariners games

Both Saturday and Sunday of Easter weekend will feature temperatures warming to around 60 degrees across much of Western Washington.

14 hours ago

Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Lumen Field on July 22, 20...

Micki Gamez, KIRO Newsradio and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

Seattle tourism dollars break records following All-Star Week, Taylor Swift

It was a record-setting year for dollars flowing into Seattle from tourists.

15 hours ago

Image: A bridge in Carnation....

Julia Dallas

Carnation frustrated with Seattle again after 8th false emergency alarm induces widespread panic

Carnation citizens have faced a series of panic-inducing alarms after SPU's system for the Tolt Dam falsely sounded eight times.

16 hours ago

Grocery store shopper...

Bill Kaczaraba

Ways to deal with Seattle grocery store sticker shock

Seattle grocery store sticker shock continues to play havoc on locals, but there are ways to counter high prices.

17 hours ago

belltown hellcat social media...

Frank Sumrall

Infamous ‘Belltown Hellcat’ social media influencer charged with reckless driving

The social media influencer has been accused of driving 107 miles per hour through Belltown in a Dodge Hellcat.

18 hours ago

City of Seattle urges Seahawks fans to back off cell phone sharing