I understand what you're saying but I can't find your point. Are you saying that in principle it's impossible to handle such complications/disputes via property rights and court without government regulation (beyond property right laws)?

Got one - it's called a ham radio. ;)

If you take out the power, you'll get the cell towers as well...

Until you can shut down or deauthorize the FCC, they government has all legal authority to shut down service. Telephone communications are not a right - they are a privilege according to the current legal state of affairs in this country. Part of that has to do with the technical requirements necessary to ensure interoperability and non-interference among different devices, but part has also been co-opted to be part of disaster planning.

As a member of the Amateur Radio Emergency Services group, I can tell you that while I'm not going to completely discount the second idea, the first thing to go down in an emergency is the communications infrastructure because it is only meant to handle simultaneous calls from a small fraction of the user populace at a time. It is also highly susceptible to problems from a loss of power, which is why the Hams are present wherever and whenever disaster strikes.

Who cares about them turning off cell phones...what worries me is how they might kill our utilities in the middle of a harsh winter.
Consider...if you were a terrorist...which would you take out, if you had to choose, cell towers or power substations?

They don't pass laws anymore, but they still do implement "policy". Obama may have had fewer executive orders than Bush, but the executive orders he has ramrodded through have been expensive both in terms of economics and individual liberty.

In my city's disaster the mobiles all stopped. We were later told it was overload due to everyone using them at once.
And people were.
Urban rumour later was that it was to prevent the knowledge of the deaths getting out there

"what ain't fruits and nuts is flakes" -- j

how about a Mute Switch when they start talking positively
about things which they were elected to Reject? -- j

They already do, They did this several times here in NY state. When something happens, like a shooting, they shut down all cell phones and all land line phones. They also can remotely turn off all cars that were made after 2007. Anyone wonder why they offered so much for cash for clunkers ? To get the older cars off the road. A lot happening that no one is aware of.

Ask me about the "Pay Per Mile" program that On Star and all those services are going to be used for with the imbedded road RFID sensors.

It has already been tested in MA and MI and IL.

I told my wife about your suggestion for a "kill switch" for our current government and she commented "WHY? They don't do anything anyway!" THAT is why I married her!!!

Let's ask a slightly different question: Should the government turn off communication to any of our phones?

Is such an act to secure the rights of its citizens? Does the action violate rights? If the answers are yes and no (respectively), then it is consistent with the proper role of any government. If that isn't the answers, then no.

Now asking a question closer to the original: as far as a gov HAVING the ability or means of carrying out such an act? I think the form that the means take is a non-essential issue, so long as rights aren't violated.

Now should our government have the means? No. They've demonstrated time and again that they are not interest in securing rights when it comes to implementing a totalitarian agenda.

+1

I would be in favor of a "kill switch" for the Obozo Regime.

boy, did you hit the nail on the head, i live in this wacko state and it never ceases to amaze me what a bunch of fruit loops run this state

not in my lifetime

For 100+ years, America generally could trust its government. For the last 100+ years, it hasn't been able to trust it.

I'm sure most of you fellow gultchers realize how bad it would be to have government kill switches , but for those who don't you must read "America's Trust"

Is this even a question?

There was a time we didn't have phones, too, and a time before we had newspapers. There was a time before we had movable type, and people more or less got along then too. But that's not the point - we got along because we (as thinking human beings) were searching for better ways, better things, a better future; to settle for what our ancestors had while they worked to make our lives better is at best an insult to them, and in fact an insult to the human spirit. There is no standing still, only moving ahead or falling back. I vote for tomorrow!

Amen to that jbrenner! It would be a different story if we could actually trust our government not to abuse their authority, but we all know how well that has progressed to date...

I've recently thought we should build in self destruct mechanisms in the military hardware we make, use, sell, loan, or that could be stolen. This should include artillery, tanks, aircraft, drones, etc. Then when the enemy gets ahold of it, or turns on us, we merely signal the satellite to blow it up.

Hear! Hear! Thanks for the reminder. We have arrived. Sad.

Chemical, biomedical, and materials engineering.