Theater Owners Want to Jam Cell Phones

["David Farber" <dave () farber net>]

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Theater Owners Want to Jam Cell Phones
From:    "Lauren Weinstein" <lauren () vortex com>
Date:    Wed, December 21, 2005 9:47 pm
To:      dave () farber net
Cc:      lauren () vortex com
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Dave,

Word is out that the National Association of Theater Owners
wants the FCC to allow the jamming of cell phones in movie theaters. See
for example: http://www.mobiledia.com/news/41645.html

As you can imagine, the cellular phone industry is rather negative toward
this idea -- as should be anyone who has their priorities
straight.

Such jammers are already available illicitly in the U.S., and some
establishments have supposedly already been experimenting with them,
figuring that patrons would just assume poor inside coverage.

But can you *imagine* the liability issues that would arise in
emergency contact situations if purposeful jamming were taking
place, even assuming that the jamming didn't spill out into other
areas?

Frankly, the probability of the FCC going along with this idea is, uh,
something of a long shot.  Yes, people who insist on using cell phones or
other obtrusive devices in theaters are a pain.  But so
are loud talkers, seats and floors covered with bubble gum and
spilled popcorn, and of course lousy movies.

The fact that the theater association is even trotting out the idea of
blanket jamming suggests desperation in the extreme.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () eepi org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
  - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, EEPI
  - Electronic Entertainment Policy Initiative - http://www.eepi.org
Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
DayThink: http://daythink.vortex.com





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