California lawmakers eye back-up power for cellphone towers

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California's preemptive power shutoffs to prevent wildfires have affected more than just lights. Some lost their phones, too.

Data from the Federal Communications Commission shows 874 cellphone towers were offline during a power shutoff on Oct. 27. That included more than half of the cell towers in Marin County alone.

On Wednesday, some Democratic state lawmakers announced legislation that would require telecommunications companies to have at least 72 hours of backup power at cellphone towers in high-risk fire areas.

Representatives from companies including AT&T and Verizon are scheduled to testify before lawmakers on Wednesday