Steve Burns
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON – (WMAL) No need to be worried about those strange-looking devices locked away behind a fence on the National Mall – they’re there to make sure you’re able to update your Facebook status on Friday.
“By far, this is one of the biggest mass events that we prepare for with the temporary assets,” Verizon’s Mark Funka tells WMAL. He says they looked at aerial photos from the last two inaugurations to determine where the cell-on-wheels, or COW units should be located.
“There are seven high-density cell sites positioned throughout the Mall, from the Capitol building all the way down to the World War II Memorial, as well as four medium-density cell sites all around the Mall,” Funka says.
For inaugurations, this is a relatively new endeavor. The last time we swore in a new president in 2008, the devices revelers held in their hands were much different.
“In (2008), those people carried around smaller flip phones, which were primarily voice and (texting),” Funka says. “Now, there are many, many more apps that allow people to do things like Facebook Live, Periscope, Snapchat.”
Funka says permanent cell sites around the District have also been upgraded.
Copyright 2017 by WMAL.com. All rights reserved. (PHOTO: whitehouse.gov)
