We just received an interesting email from a reseller cell phone jamming gear, asking if we'd be interested in testing some of their anti-cell phone gear. Some of you might know these devices, although legal to sell, using jamming cell phone signals here in the United States is considered property theft by the FCC. An $11,000 fine and up to a year in prison for each offense makes owning one of these a risky proposition at best. But if these were legal, would you be tempted to own and use one?
These cell phone jamming devices don't come cheap and by using one, you risk not only breaking FCC laws, but perhaps causing an incident if its use messes with someone's pacemaker or other signal-sensitive device. We do think in time, these devices in some form or another, might be necessary in a society where improper cell phone use in public spaces (even churches, libraries and museums!) is growing rampant.
Most of these $100-$1000 devices only affected 30-100' perimeters of dead space, but some more powerful government-grade units can kill a whole mile diameter (think Presidential motorcade), so one wonders what the real dangers are besides intrusion of freedom to use mobile devices. There might be a day similar to the time when smokers were made to partake in their habit in designated areas, with the introduction of cell-free dining zones...at least one could hope.
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I answered yes because of a neighbor I have that sits outside on her deck just outside my bedroom window at 3 AM and smokes and talks on the phone non stop for hours. It is a riot to listen to her though and the conversations seem pretty one-sided as I don't think the person on the other end can get a word in. She is probably late 20's but if you heard her conversations you'd guess she was a 13 year old girl. It is the 3 AM thing that is really irritating!
Telling them to stfu politely is just as effective and much more ethical.
Absolutely not.
What if there was an emergency in the nearby area and someone needed to dial 911? You can't always "spot" an emergency either, as this was the main argument in a similar post a few months back on another site.
"If I saw some emergency, I would stop blocking the cell phones."
An emergency could be something like a person spotting an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend against whom they have a restraining order. It's not immediately apparent that it's an emergency, yet it absolutely requires a 911 call.
No way! My temporary annoyance at some chatterbug is not worth the risk that I might also be blocking an on-call doctor, a man getting a call from his pregnant wife that "it's time", The girl who feels a little woozy and wants to call a friend to take her home because she's worried someone slipped her a date rape drug...
Just thinking about how much danger someone might risk inflicting on anyone nearby just because he or she wants a quiet meal makes me feel a bit disturbed.
I would put one in my car and push the button momentarily to drop the call of someone who is driving erratically on the freeway. I realize that it would be wrong and could potentially be an important phone call but I feel my personal safety supersedes your rights to carry on an illegal conversation on your phone while driving a vehicle (cops included, just because you have a badge doesn't give you the right to talk while holding a phone to your ear). I would rather myself, my wife, and my 5 month old baby to not be victims of vehicular homicide.
Block all the phones around - no. But block one particular phone of one irritating @$$#0L3 - oooooooh YESSS!
And no, this particular person doesn`t react to stfu, politely said or not.
This device would be the ultimate passive-aggressive tool, and for that reason I would never be behind it. Just use your words like a big boy/girl if someone is bothering you, but be sure to be polite and not confrontational (or they'll just speak louder).
Also, people need to adjust their expectations re: public cell phone use. I never use my cell in a nice restaurant, if I get a call while being served (in a store, for example), I will tell the person calling me that I'll call them back (I think it's rude to talk on the phone while getting rung up at the cash register), etc. BUT I will use my cell (at a normal conversational level) in a café or public space). I once had a very jerky old guy at Starbucks scream at me for using my cell, even though I was talking quieter than all the people around me and was a paying customer. Meanwhile, he buys 1 cup of coffee and then sits there all day, every day, running an ESL business out of the coffee shop (Chapters Starbucks). So, I ripped him a new one. A coffee shop isn't a library, and it's not a free place to run a business--if you want perfect quiet or to run a business, go to the library or rent an office. Some people will just pick on somebody talking on a cell phone because it "offends" them, but if they had a person sitting across from them having the same conversation at the same volume, these people never would say a word. Plus, they get "braver" because it's only one person and there's nobody there to back them up.
Anyways, sorry for my long rambling reply but I just think it works both ways, and sometimes it's the complainers attitude that needs adjusting (though cell phones in restaurants, movie theatres, etc. are still a no-no in my book).
I think that individuals should never be allowed to use jammers. People would abuse them to no end.
However, I believe that restaurants, theaters, and the like should have the right to install jamming devices on the premises. As most people are aware, despite the many reminders to silence your phone at a theater there is always some joker who feels he is the exception to the rule.
It's important to remember that there was a time before cellphones, so if you can't use your phone during a movie it shouldn't be the end of the world.
Couldn't we just be given the right to slap the annoying people?
No... for that emergency voicemail.. or text... it's not worth finding out too late. I understand that people should be more considerate... and certainly there is a part of me that wishes I could block calls during family mealtimes... but... still it is too much of a risk.
"I never use my cell in a nice restaurant, if I get a call while being served...
...I will tell the person calling me that I'll call them back..."
Why answer the phone in the first place?
Just let it go to voicemail.
Some folks may disagree with me, but IMO, using your phone in a cafe is just as rude as using it in a restaurant, in a store, in a theatre or on public transit.
I don't think individuals should be allowed to use these, even with the situation with cell phones in cars, but I could see it being used in a setting like a theatre, restaurant, etc, if it is also made clear where a phone is that can be used in case of emergency.
They have these in Japan. You're not supposed to talk on the phone on public transportation there (so you don't bother others). Once, I was the only passenger on the bus so I answered my phone. The bus driver jammed the signal and ended my call! I totally understand the rule, and it was nice to have quiet commutes. I think the best thing would to somehow make the jammer work so that only 911 calls could still be made. Just like how cell phones can make 911 calls even without service.
It's hard to say...
On one hand, people seem to be getting worse about cell phone etiquette...not better. And a stfu doesn't always work. So that's a pro to places like theaters installing them.
On the other - there are situations where calls need to be made or received in an emergency. So that's a con.
But then again, to ominoustoad's point - there was a time, not THAT long ago, before cell phones became ubiquitous. We dealt. And survived.
I think if it was posted that an area prohibited/blocked cell phone use, and provided a means of contacting you that you could provide to others for emergencies...then I think I'd be fine with it.
Where as it may be nice to have a quiet zone, I cannot condone taking away someone's ability to make or recieve an important phone call. I like to think we're all grown ups and we can watch a movie without someone texting the whole time. I know that this isn't the case and there will always be some rude person in the theatre... but my irritation is no excuse to interfere with an on call doctor, an emergancy, or any other phone call that may be made for legit reasons.
Yeah, people abuse cell phones, but as everyone else is saying, emergencies happen and you can't be blocking phones for your own comfort. I could understand if you have a landline and you want to discourage your kids from making calls, but outside of your own home you don't have the right to impede another's ability to use their phone, annoying or not.
Terribly passive-aggressive, as SauceyKat said. You wouldn't reach over and hang up their call, but you would anonymously hang it up for them? Power without accountability is a terrible combination.
That said, I have no issue with places of business that have an umbrella of silence - and notices that say so to establish people's expectations. The SF Symphony does this and has a little note in their programs. I think it's fine, assuming they make other communication devices available for emergencies (e.g. pay phones). Ditto the bus driver, as long as it's a posted policy.
The idea of blocking phones on the highway is problematic - I get the frustration with distracted driving, but I've made emergency calls from the road and would want to be able to rely on my phone.
I would love if calls were blocked on public transit here in the US. There are way too many people who sit on the bus and talk for an hour (not even at reasonable volume) about nothing in particular, it can wait until one does not have a captive audience.
I think cell phones are one of the most annoying things on the planet. Well, the fact that people can't regulate themselves when and how they use them is the most annoying. If it were up to me I would illegalize those stupid Star Trek Bluetooth things. God, those are awful. I can't tell the difference between crazy people and people who are talking to their stargate communicator anymore. It's unfair! lol
Seriously, though, I think cell phones are a serious problem in cars and people are too irresponsible to handle it themselves. I would like to see a car device that jams calls incoming and outgoing. I don't care that you could get in a wreck and need to call your friend or text someone about it. That's the risk of driving.
As for other places, I am a doctor and I absolutely can't stand it when a patient's cell phone rings when I'm in with them and they say "Hang on." to me then, "Hey. Hey. Yeah, who dis? Yeah, it's me. Listen, I'm at the doctor's. Yeah. YEah. Yeah. Let me holla back atchoo later. No. Yeah, I'm at the doctor..." and so on and so forth. People evidently are unaware of a phenomenon called voicemail. So, I would like to be able to jam cell phones in my place of business. It would keep my employees from talking and texting on my time, too. I'm not paying people to talk on the damn phone with their idiot friends.
YES in movie theaters. No question at all. Just go to the lobby. If you are freaked out about emergencies then there should be paranoid people showings and shows for everyone else in the world who made it this far without a cell phone for two freakin hours.
yes, i wish.
Honestly, telling people shut it works very rarely. They just get annoyed and carry on chatting.
The subway has no cell phone reception, so so much for the need of in case of an emergency.
In movie theaters they should be mandatory, where people have to step out to take a call.
On a bus would be nice too. People were fine without cells for the longest time. Really, how often are there those emergencies? Mostly i just hear chatter.
In Holland they have 'quiet' wagons in commuter rail...perfect! If you don't want phone calls and noisy Ipods (how annoying if it's just too loud!!) you'll sit here, otherwise you just take a seat in one of the regular wagons and call all you like.
I would be in favour of occasional uses as long as it was well and clearly marked so that everyone was aware they were entering a no-call area. That makes a big difference to me than just passive-aggressively using it.
i wish there were something that would make talking on your cellphones while driving (except 911) impossible.
YES!!! I have only a ten minute commute and every day, I see about a dozen near accidents due to cell phone users talking/texting on the freeway/city streets. Imagine how much stupidity FedEx/UPS/Taxi drivers see on a daily basis due to inattentive drivers talking/texting on their phones. I'd have one in my car and turn it on every time I noticed the driver in front of me suddenly stop paying attention to traffic.
It's a tad difficult to use your "big boy/girl" words to ask the driver on the freeway in front of you causing traffic to grind to a stand-still to stop using their phone. Every day I watch lots of drivers go traffic unaware because they're convinced they can handle texting and driving at the same time (they can't, you can't).
If my commute was an hour long, I'd happily spend $500 bucks to kill the cell phone calls of the inconsiderate drivers that insist on holding a phone to their ear, looking at maps/directions on their phones or texting while they drive.
I know I'll get flammed for this post, but it's telling how the same selfish drivers that use their phones on the road are the same nincompoops that lay on the horn or suddenly speed up when they get passed. These people have no problem screwing up the flow of traffic for miles but god forbid someone pass them.
My vote is a resounding yes.
I kind of agree with JustPuked. I'd outlaw cell phones if I could. NOBODY needs to be connected 24/7. Cell phones ringing anyway is noise pollution. Cell phones in cars are potentially lethal weapons. Doctors can set their damn phones to vibrate or use a pager and then find a phone to call the hospital if they need to.
No, I think people should be allowed to receive communication anywhere. You never know when an emergency will strike.
There is quite a bit of talking in the restaurants anyway, and all people that i have seen answer a phone in the middle of the theater have walked out. As far as driving goes, make it illegal to talk on the phone, but not speaker.
And for most of us, we are at work or in commute the large part of our day, and do not have access to our family or significant others who are not in the same city. Cell phones are the only link to sufficient communication during breaks.
There is a lot more noise pollution in the world than cell phones and those of you who would outlaw cell phones or legalize this blocking device are just SELFISH and not respectful to others.
Then call me selfish. I'm with the jammers. Enough is enough.
Landline still exist, don't they? The only way the public would accept this, if cell phone jammers were effective in public places, is to either bring back the payphone or allow 911 calls on mobiles. Simple.
I find cell phones so very annoying as it stands -- I listen to loud conversations on a daily basis as a pedestrian, I've been bumped into by people texting and not watching where they are going, and have had people stop walking and stand to text or make a phone call while I'm walking behind them. Yes, I'm so very disrespectful and selfish.
I work. My family lives in a different city, and so do many of my friends. I was formerly in a long-distance relationship. If your life is so full and you are so preoccupied with other things that you can't make time to make a phone call while at home, or send a quick e-mail to let those who love know you're thinking of them, then perhaps your priorities are skewed.
I'm with the, no individuals jamming, but public places it's ok. If it is made clear that a designated area is cell-phone jammed, and where it ends, what's the problem? If you want to make a call or check for your emergency call from someone else, you can walk out of the field. A payphone on the premises, and I really don't see the dilemma.
I don't mean for cafes, though. I mean theatres and museums. Places where attention is important.
For all those who say "No, because of emergencies." How on earth did you all manage before the days of cell phones?
Jam away I say, and if there is an emergency, people will just have to use the old fashioned method.
I think every cars should have a built in device to block cell phones, so each person cannot use their cell phones. Obviously people need something to stop them because they have not learned to respect the new laws. When policemen are using their personal cell in their police car, it clearly demonstrate people don't get it and there is a problem.
When an accident happens with the car: air bag is triggered, busted tire etc. the cell blocker is disconnected and you then can make a call if you have a cell. Or if you see someone in danger you have to get out of your car like 3 feet away and make the call from there.
Now while I am annoyed at loud cell users, I think some here exaggerate when they complain people use cells in public transits, I mean, I like to use that dead time to call friends, make plans, catch up after work. I speak at an acceptable level and when I do realise I might have laughed too loudly or spoke a bit to high, I apologise to people when I am done with the call. (I know not many people do that, but using cell in the commute should be aloud nonetheless.)
And please, answering your phone to say to the person "I will call you back" is so dumb i cannot believe people still do that. But some of you guys do it all the time! You're real busy, your cell rings, you pick up and say "hang on I'm busy, I will call you back", have anyone of you heard of call display, voice mail?
When I'm with friends, family or on a date I never pick up my phone. Some will even suggest I pick up and I say: "well no, I am with you, I am not with whoever is trying to call". Of course unless I am expecting a call or something. I know I am an exception, I don't feel emergencies are as urgent as people make them to be. And I enjoy my freedom of choosing when I answer and when I don't.
I consider blocking cell phones during exams that I give at the University. I suspect cell phone use to cheat. Once I made that step, I might then want to extend it to lecture time, and while I'm at it, block all internet. Many students come to class and feel that they have studied when in reality they are doing who-knows-what on the internet at least during lecture. And those students are a distraction from the ones who are tuned in to class.
Only for a business and only if there's a notice up that informs people that calls are being blocked. An available landline for emergency purposes should also be available. Under no circumstances should individuals be owning jammers, especially with so many people giving up their landlines and using cells as their primary phone.
And while I understand that people want safe & quiet commutes, I think it's a horrible idea to jam calls on public transit or on roads where people might need to make or receive emergency calls unless there is some way for 911 to be called.
And this is coming from someone who hates cell phones so much that I only got one this year after my husband insisted.
I'm a teacher. We have a no-phones during class time rule at our high school - which is hard to enforce with texting. For each kid I catch texting, three more get away with it - and I'm good. I'd block cellphone reception in my classroom if I could. I really don't care otherwise. There are plenty of other ways to get messages to kids in emergencies.
I'll be honest - I'm guilty of talking on the phone while driving or on the bus. When I'm in motion, it seems like a good time to get some of those calls out of the way. I once was in the process of moving, and switched my cable service from one address to another while driving a load of stuff over to my new place. Sometimes after work, I have to let off some steam and talk to a friend. With some of my friends, my commuting time is the only time they have available to talk because of work/class/etc. I'm not a dumbass when it comes to my driving, and those people piss me off. If it comes down to it, I'll drop my phone - and have - to drive.
However, when it comes to museums or movie theaters, I'd love a jammer. I'm guilty of checking my Facebook while I wait for a movie to start, but you won't catch me on my phone once the lights go down. I've once had to answer my phone in a museum - my landlord called when I was halfway across the country - and I was MORTIFIED. Absolutely mortified. I cringed in a corner and did everything I could do to get off the line with my Chatty Cathy landlord. Ugh.
I just wish there was more shame associated with getting caught on your phone in a theater or a museum. I feel like every time I tell someone to STFU, I'm coming off like the dumbass rude person in the situation. Really?
you can't be too mortified if you answered and continued the phone call in a public place.
Well posted signs saying this area is blocked to allow those experiencing emergencies to quickly find an alternative solution could be a nice option in places.
@jojo
surely you've noticed the decreasing number of payphones? i honestly don't know of a single payphone over the 4 miles I walk/bike to work.
I can only justify a cell phone blocker in a place that's supposed to be silent, like the theater, the movies, etc. Sometimes telling them to be quiet just doesn't work. But the range on these blockers would have to be pretty sensitive, i.e. inside the actual theater/movie space.
Wow...how did people handle emergencies before cell phones?!!
@littlelestfinch
We still have our village phonebox, perhaps it is different in the UK. I have an 8 mile journey to work through rural countryside and I pass at least 6.
If it was a real emergency, lack of payphones wouldn't deter me. You'd do the sensible thing and run to the nearest house!