Wow https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senators-issued-satellite-phones-new-security-measures/
There's something interesting about this article that I noticed. At the end of the article, they explain specific threats to justify these satellite phone: physical attacks with a hammer/baseball bat.
What's strange about this? Having a sat phone doesn't make them any safer than having a cell phone. It's completely unrelated to "an emergency that takes out communications in part of America".