[AmericaUnited]

What terrorist plan could involve 1,000 cell phones?

It could be that after some BIG NEW event, they would expect these types of phones to be UNAVAILABLE and wanted to stockpile them so as to continue operations. You use one for a short period of time and then discard it. Or you make only a few phone calls to one person and then discard it, so the NSA can not connect the dots, i.e. calls made between one phone/individual and 13 terror related people..

[6ppc]

What terrorist plan could involve 1,000 cell phones?

Or you are planning an extended terror campaign across the US using cell phone triggered IMDs. They don't need this many phones for day to day communications.

[demkicker]

You use one for a short period of time and then discard it. Or you make only a few phone calls to one person and then discard it, so the NSA can not connect the dots, i.e. calls made between one phone/individual and 13 terror related people..

This is exactly why congress needs to ban phones that cannot be traced back to an individual providing name, address and proof of identity. Granted, people have fake ID's, but if someone provides false information they can be nailed for that and their terrorist intentions will be crystal clear.