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Not everywhere. But private entities—restaurants, hotels, theaters—should be allowed to create “no cell-phone zones” just like no-smoking zones. The best way to enforce those zones is with jammers. Legalize them, and regulate how far they can extend and the hours they can be used.

Totally agree!

My gut reaction is the same. But don't security concerns trump the irritation of hearing all about last night's party? What's more important, my sanity or my ability to call 911?

We could just hire a bunch of Russian Babushkas... try taking a call in a Russian opera house... your sorry ass is being hauled out by some 80 year old before you can even get out the "Hell...?"

I agree. However, I also find it sad that it is becoming necessary to do so. Shutting off one's cell phone in a venue where it could cause discomfort or annoyance for others is basic good manners.

I'm sure we all have stories to tell about the Bipsy-Boopsie that felt it necessary to regale an entire restaurant with a detailed account of her recent Brazilian wax. (True story - in a restaurant where dinner for two with a bottle of wine generally runs north of $150.00)

I've heard people on cell phones in toilet stalls, restaurants, treatment rooms at spas, fitting rooms, banks, dentist chairs, etc. for years. Many places, including banks, now have signs that inform people that if they are talking on a cell phone when they get to a cashier or teller, they will not be served.

I confess that I enjoyed it immensely when a man was told to go to the back of the line at the bank recently. He actually shouted, "Don't you know who I am?", as if he was more important somehow than the others who were waiting.

We recently went to Japan, where the sign depicting a cell phone with a line through it is honored without question. The signs are everywhere and not once did we see anyone defying the rule. Everyone accepted that there are some places where cell phone conversations are simply not welcome. There were a couple of occasions when someone left a venue to take a call (the phone was clearly in silent mode).

This is a good idea for roads but not restaurants. Well, it already would be legal in a restaurant since that is a private space anyway and one could put up a sign that says - "by entering you agree..." But that's all just about taste and discomfort. For SAFETY we NEED to have this on our streets to prevent cell phone drivers who are killers, literally. First, obviously, bans on cell phone driving need to come in uniformly. Then, the jamming should I think be at intersections. Ideally we could jam them just in the driving lanes everywhere and not on the side where someone could legitimately park and talk on the phone (or call 911). But that would be too large an area. Realistically intersections are the most dangerous place for drivers distracted attention so it should be put there. The signal woulded be totally blocked but it would be so intermittant with every intersection then people would be effectively deterred from using them. Also people could park on the side and call still if an emergency.

I don't really buy the safety thing. We all lived in relative peace without the darned things in the past, yet now cellphones have become so ubiquitous as to seem necessary.

On the roads you have definite freedom issues. Folks get distracted by a lot of things behind the wheel, but you need to be able to use your cellphone in public spaces.

But if I lay down $10+ (with snacks) for a movie, I expect to get my money's worth. Having cellphones go off every ten minutes, even without ensuing conversations, can ruin the movie-going experience.

Restaurants, too, though I tend to take each restaurant on its merits. I may cry foul if I'm digging into a $30 steak with truffles and potatoes, but I probably won't care too much if I'm in my neighborhood diner having coffee and huevos rancheros.

What would really be nice is to have these jammers in classrooms, though in our post-Columbine world, maybe that's asking too much. I do have a landline in my classroom, however.

That could be solved by requiring an emergency land line phone in areas with cell phone jammers, that can only call out to 911.

I would agree on the condition that part of that regulation would also provide some substitute, like an on-site landline that connects to the outside world or some red button that would send emergency signals or disable the blocker.

For instance, all restaurants with the disabler would have the button on the underneath of their tables that can be pressed in an emergency to disable it, also when the firealarm goes off the blockers get automatically disabled too. Now, off course you COULD press the red button to chat with your friend but then you get in trouble like someone who falsely pulls a fire alarm.

one problem: mobile phones would not automatically become illegal in any place that stands to make money from the use of telephones. this particularly applies to hotels, if I am out on the road, I want to use my blackberry for email, web access and making calls, if Marriott starts blocking that, I now have to pay for their web access and their phones, a pain in the rear. why should they be able to restrict my use of privately owned communications device in my room, in order to make more money?

think Verizon would pay a fee to have cell phones blocked, even 'unofficially' in my condo building to make me buy a landline? what about customizable blockers? all of a sudden, only Sprint phones work in the mall...Verizon already has a monopoly in the DC metro system, why not on buses as well? you can easily create a cell-phone free area in your business, if you want. simply post a sign saying you have zero tolerance for phone use, and that anyone violating this policy will be removed. guy starts talking at the restaurant table? kick him out, just as you would if he was screaming obscenties. people will get the hint.

IMO the worst is on the bus, people yakking away at twice the volume of a normal conversation. In a restaurant you can call the manager over and say, "either you tell that person to quit right now, or we're leaving." Faced with loss of business, I think that the restaurant will do the right thing.

Jammers have to be used with the same discretion as a cellphone: you only do it when the conversation being held is non-emergent. Since everyone knows what the person is talking about anyway, as we're all within earshot, that should be a relatively easy thing to deduce.

Plus that, you don't have to have the jammer working all the time--you can jam one conversation (say about meatball recipies) and again when the person tries to redial--but you don't have to keep jamming continuously. Just until the offender leaves the area.

I'm all for jamming. I read an article that said that the FCC has never imposed the $10,000 fine that comes with being caught and convicted of cellphone jamming.

This is actually a pretty interesting perspective. It wouldn't surprise me if one company tried to have a particular signal from another company jammed, but that would easily be addressed with proper regulation. Yes, I know, regulation in this country has been a joke on a variety of fronts.

northzax:

one problem: mobile phones would not automatically become illegal in any place that stands to make money from the use of telephones. this particularly applies to hotels, if I am out on the road, I want to use my blackberry for email, web access and making calls, if Marriott starts blocking that, I now have to pay for their web access and their phones, a pain in the rear. why should they be able to restrict my use of privately owned communications device in my room, in order to make more money?

think Verizon would pay a fee to have cell phones blocked, even 'unofficially' in my condo building to make me buy a landline? what about customizable blockers? all of a sudden, only Sprint phones work in the mall...Verizon already has a monopoly in the DC metro system, why not on buses as well? you can easily create a cell-phone free area in your business, if you want. simply post a sign saying you have zero tolerance for phone use, and that anyone violating this policy will be removed. guy starts talking at the restaurant table? kick him out, just as you would if he was screaming obscenties. people will get the hint.

I'm the proud over worked owner of a small restaurant that prominently displays a home made "no cell phones" sign. That sign is ummmmmm, enforced by one of those illegal bought from overseas jammers stashed away in the waitress station. The whole "emergency" thing is over played, if there's a fire I think either I or one of my staff will notice it, and we know how to use a phone. I put it in place about two years ago after becoming totally fed up with people complaining about other people's calls, my staff using theirs, customers wanting their meal redone as it was cold because they've spent the last 20 minutes on the phone discussing such very important things as the movie they went to, the party they were at, what the repairman said about their car, let alone the fact the person they are dining with is forced into chosing between eating their meal while it's hot or being more courteous then their tablemate and waiting till they finish.

I've had a couple of compaints over the years, and I do appreciate that there is an occasional instance when someone is expecting a cal that indeed is important; but I guess my view of it is, let the person know where you are..they can call the restaurant and we'll find you. You can step outside and walk about 3-4 yards and you'll be out of the "dead zone", as the rest of us don't need to, nor in many cases want to hear about your divorce. In the time it's been up I'd put the complaint to compliment ratio at about 1 to 50.

Not bad

Ah, peace in a restaurant!

I only have one objection to the whole jammer thing. We have a couple of friends who are doctors and they really do need to be in contact at all times. They have their phones set on vibrate and leave the room to take calls.

Their situation really is life or death and a land line just isn't going to cut it for them.

Too bad most people are so boorish that they need to be forced to be polite.

Great, now if someone breaks into my house to rob and rape me, they can cut my landline AND jam my cell phone.

What happened to just asking people to be quiet? If two people are having a loud conversation is it worse than listening to a loud cell phone conversation? Are you going to "jam" two people talking at a movie, or do you ask them to be quiet? This method is way too sneaky- also, does this device also jam pagers? What if there is someone on-call who needs to receive that page? Just because that cell phone talker is being impolite does not mean we have to react with such extreme measures and also react in an impolite fashion. If something is upsetting you so much that you want to inconvience everyone around you rather than actually confront someone and ask them politely to stop, then you have a much bigger issue on your hands than cell talkers.