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Author Topic: NYC bans cell phones at movies Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 02-13-2003 03:37 AM                        Here's the link: http://www.msnbc.com/news/872092.asp?0cv=CB20 This should be interesting. I wonder how they plan to enforce this...  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 02-13-2003 07:33 AM                        At the very least, a law like this will better allow theatres to take action against patrons that thoughtlessly annoy others talking on their cell phones during a movie, or by not turning off the ringer. New York state has been pretty agressive in ticketing drivers holding cell phones while driving, and I suspect NYC will support theatres in enforcing this law against the more obnoxious cellu-louts.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-13-2003 08:21 AM                        I agree with the sentiment, but do we really need a law for this? Unlike the issue of using a phone while driving an automobile, I can't think of any obvious public health or safety issue that would justify this. Sure, it annoys other people, but so does talking and crunching popcorn too loudly. If we are going to pass laws to punish people who have bad manners, then why stop with cell phones? Let's start fining women who wear white shoes before Easter or after Labor Day!  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 02-13-2003 08:27 AM                        I don't really think the police will waste valuable time patrolling theatres looking for violators. But if a theatre has to deal with an unruly patron who refuses to comply with not using their cell phone, it does give them a means of prosecution.  |  IP: Logged Michael Gonzalez Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 790 From: Grand Island , NE USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 02-13-2003 03:11 PM                     I wonder if a law like this would then allow the theaters to use cell phone jamming technology? If it is illegal for people to have cell phones in the theaters with them, than a theater can't get in trouble for jamming phones that are not supose to be there in the first place. It makes for an interesting legal argument anyway.  |  IP: Logged Gerard S. Cohen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 975 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 02-13-2003 07:01 PM                     The law takes effect next month, and while it includes a penalty of a $50 fine, proponents expect it to be self-policing, in that having the law sanctions the public's desire to be free from annoyance. There's no expectation of any significant expense for enforcement. In my neighborhood almost every dog owner picks up after his pet, and I never heard of anyone here being cited for failure to observe that law since it was passed. So may it be with the new cell-phone usage law! The law applies to stage presentations and movies, but exempts athletic stadiums.  |  IP: Logged Nate Lehrke Master Film Handler Posts: 396 From: Denver, CO Registered: Oct 2002 posted 02-13-2003 11:34 PM                     I think that this whole thing is a squander of lawmaker's time. I don't see any proper ways to enforce it & can't envision wasting the "the system's" time to give someone a ticket for it.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 02-13-2003 11:59 PM                        quote: I wonder if a law like this would then allow the theaters to use cell phone jamming technology? If it is illegal for people to have cell phones in the theaters with them, than a theater can't get in trouble for jamming phones that are not supose to be there in the first place. ...An interesting thought. What I wonder is how this got past the cell phone lobby. They've been pretty aggressive in the 'states, and have been a big part of why we're one of the few (only?) countries where you can only use passive methods of cell phone "jamming". On the other hand though, New York's mayor did veto it, and the city council had to override it... so maybe the Cell phone industry was putting the pressure on him.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 02-14-2003 02:44 AM                        Cell phone jamming would contravene federal regulations, which a municipal government can't overrule. So nope, no jamming for you!  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-14-2003 05:18 AM                        NYC has become the so-called "quality of life" issue city. Trouble is, the government picks and chooses what is and what is not a "quality of life" issue. Evidently not repairing roads that have become pothole-laden obstacle courses ISN'T a quality of life issue (more like a quality of your axel) but arresting guys who want to clean your windshield IS. Having garbage flying all over the streets ISN'T a quality of life issue, but making cab drivers say "Have a Nice Day" IS. But I digress. There is no question that police aren't going to patrol theatres (although this might not be a bad idea) looking for cell phone violators, but as Gerard mentions, it is more of a self-policing thing. People are more apt to be conscious of an action that is "illegal." Scott asks if we need a law for this. Well, while I was sitting in front of a woman who was describing in detail all the action of the entire film THE MATRIX to a friend on her cell phone, I sure would have liked to have a such a law to back up my...."Hey lady, will you get off the freakin phone and watch the damn movie?!" As for jamming cell phone signals, that's still an FCC no-no, but the FCC can easily change its regulatory mind, especially if more states make it illegal. Then there is passive blocking, which isn't illegal -- material that, as I understand it, can be added to building materials and even to paint (wasn't that discussed on this forum some time back?) that can prevent cell signals from getting into the auditorium. The theatre would probably have to post that information, that cell phones will not work in the theatre proper, to avoid liability from, say, doctors or other emergency personnel who rely on cell phones and would be sitting there in a "treated" theatre, not realizing that they couldn't be reached by the outside world. Whatever did we do before cell phones? You would think we came out of the womb with these things attached to the side of our heads. Frank  |  IP: Logged Gracia L. Babbidge Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 709 From: Bowdoin, Maine Registered: Aug 2000 posted 02-14-2003 05:23 AM                        Scott -tsk tsk tsk! The 'no white shoes after Labor Day & before Easter' fashion rule is now not only out-moded, but also non-existant! ... On another note about bad manners / rule-breaking… One thing that really gets my goat is driving down the highway at night, ahead of someone who leaves less than two car lengths between my back bumber and their front bumper, and decides that leaving their "brights" on is the thing to do! And they never seem to take notice of me indicating my annoyance with the ever-useful hand gesture-> Maybe I'd be less aggravated over such boneheaded things if my weren't so amazingly sensitive to light, but it can't be helped.  |  IP: Logged Randy Loy Expert Film Handler Posts: 156 Registered: Aug 1999 posted 02-14-2003 09:50 AM                     About a month ago my wife and I saw "Catch Me If You Can" at a local Loews Cineplex theatre. Prior to the feature they ran the customary coming attractions and policy trailers, among which the hi-lite was a cell phone policy trailer that we think was put out by Cingular Wireless. It was funny but also gets the point across. The trailer starts with a shot of a movie auditorium, from the perspective of looking from back to front toward the screen. The movie is in progress and you suddenly hear the annoying sound of a cell phone ringing. A guy in the front row answers his cell phone loudly, then launches into a chatty conversation. Suddenly he is catapulted out of his seat and slams into the screen before sliding down onto the floor below seat level. The on-screen audience then cheers as text copy appears saying something to the effect of, "Cell Phone Ejector Seats. Coming Soon To Theatres Everywhere!" The live audience in our auditorium also laughed and cheered! Has anybody else seen this trailer? It does a good job of pointing out how annoying cell phones are in movie theatres, while still maintaining a sense of humor about the issue.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 02-14-2003 10:23 AM                        There was an incident in Edinburgh just after Christmas in the 'no mobile 'phones' area of a restaurant. A yobbish executive type was screaming away into his, finished his conversation and got up to go to the loo. When he returned, he noticed that his mobile 'phone had disappeared from the table. A few minutes later the chef appeared and presented him with the 'phone - deep fried in batter with a salad garnish! I would love to do something similar with people who ignore the 'no mobile 'phones' carriage on trains, namely chuck the offending 'phones out of the window while travelling at 120mph. Even better; chuck out their owners, too. This rule is so widely ignored that the only way you could enforce it is either to employ policemen whose only job is to arrest offenders (and frankly, I'd prefer them to be catching murderers and drug dealers), or a technical solution, i.e. legalise the use of signal blockers. I wish they would do the latter and that blockers would be widely installed in mobile-free areas of restaurants, trains and cinemas.  |  IP: Logged Michael Gonzalez Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 790 From: Grand Island , NE USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 02-14-2003 11:19 AM                     Your missing the point. It may be a FCC violation to jam cell phones, but the point of my legal argument is that if it is illegal to have a cell phone in a theater (or at least have it on), then a theater's management could not get into trouble for having a jammer because legally there should be no signals to jam. In essance all a theater would be doing is enforcing the law. This is what we call a legal loophole. It is an unintended benefit for theaters when such a law is passed.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 02-14-2003 11:59 AM                     Gracia, Just slow down. Don't decrease your speed quickly and don't hit the brake, just ease off the gas a touch. I always find it amusing how long people will actually ride your bumper before they realize just how slow they are going. I've gotten down to 35MPH before on a 60MPH single lane highway with no car anywhere in sight before they woke up from their driving coma and passed.  |  IP: Logged

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