Phone Ban
Posted April 5th, 2003 @ 10:37am by Erik J. Barzeski
MobileTracker has a little ditty on the possible Boston Mobile Phone Ban. It was my understanding that you could only be punished in NYC if your phone rang. Am I misunderstanding the NYC law?
I fully support giving fines to people with ringing phones in "public entertainment venues." They're disruptive and annoying. Unlike the first example at MobileTracker, "coughing," cell phone ringing can be prevented. It's not a health issue, and it doesn't happen to everyone (as is getting a cold). And unlike the second example, "unwrapping throat lozenges," cell phone ringing is not done for the betterment of oneself or others. Sucking a lozenge helps prevent more interruptions due to "coughing."
Guess what? I bet that every cell phone sold within the past, oh… five years has a "vibration" mode. Turn your phone to vibrate and you interrupt only yourself. The phone vibrates, you look at the caller ID, and you decide whether to go outside and return the call. Simple.
If, however, I've misunderstood the ban and it is on possessing a cell phone at all, and not just possessing a cell phone that rings, then I'm against the law as being one which is impractical and outright stupid for reasons quite obvious to anyone with at least half their wits about them.
P.S. MobileTracker needs to enable TrackBacks, methinks.
Donate Life
Posted 05 Apr 2003 at 11:28am #
I don't think they'd have a ban on cell phones altogether or you'd see companies like Cingular and Verizon going ape shit saying that its un-American and making lots of phone calls to the ACLU.
As it stands, the law is pretty stupid. I don't mind banning cell phone use in cars if the driver doesn't have a headset, however.
Posted 05 Apr 2003 at 2:50pm #
If it makes noise... That means if it chirps for a game or any other reason (scrolling through a menu) they can take it. Same goes for palm. Probably the sound of the vibration would be enough :P.
Posted 07 Jan 2004 at 11:44am #
Cell phone bans are un-American. People should be free to carry their cell phones everywhere and talk on them while driving. If other people don't like the ring tones, so the hell what? That's not my problem. I don't live my life to please everyone else. If I like the ring tone I don't care what they think.
Those asses will pluck my cell from my cold, dead hands!