Theater owners want to block cell phone signals

[johnnymk]

By: T.O. Whenham
Via: Engadget

I’m going to see King Kong later tonight. If someone’s cell phone rings during the flick I might snap, but if theater owners have their way I won’t have to worry about that anymore. The National Association of Theater Owners (a kinder, gentler NATO) is preparing to ask the FCC to allow them to block cell phone signals in theaters.

Theaters are facing a real challenge as attendance falls do to high prices and more entertainment choices. This is seen as one way to bring people back into the movies. Apparently the rude behavior is a turn off.

Some theaters are already taking the matter into their own hands, with no cell phone policies. Some even require you to check your phone at the door. Not everybody thinks that all of this is as good an idea as I do. The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, the Washington based lobby group, will fight any move to block signals. "We're opposed to the use of any blocking technology, because it interferes with people's ability to use a wireless device in an emergency situation," said CTIA spokesman Joseph Farren. That argument seems a bit weak to me – if those ushers in silly outfits aren’t for emergencies, what good are they?

[gear02]

Man, that's stupid. I mean that prevents people from calling 911 during emergencies like when people paid money to watch movies like From Justin to Kelly or any of these movies: http://www.imdb.com/chart/bottom

I wonder if this Telecommunications and Internet Association is in cahoots with the MPAA.

[Grimm]

Theaters are privately owned. They have every right to restrict their guests from using cell phones while on the premises. The signals inside the theatre could be considered to be their property, such as a broadcast that enters your home. It's no great leap to assert the right to set up jammers. So long as the jamming signal does not leave the theatre it should be entirely legal.

As for emergencies, people without cell phones would have to leave the theatre and go to the lobby for help. People with jammed cell phones could do the same.

The only problem I see is that some people, myself included, use cell phones to organize group outings to the movies. If I need to contact one of my friends inside the theatre I will no longer be able to. But I suppost that is a small price to pay for elimating cell phones from the theatre.

I remember when courtesy dictated how people behaved in a theatre, that was before cell phones. But people with loud children or crying babies would leave the theatre. But today people seem to think that their 10 bucks gives them the right to destroy the experience for the 100 people around them that paid $1000 collectively to watch the movie.

Stoping cell phones from working is not the only alternative. Immediate ejection for a cell phone ring, talking on a cell phone, or even opening one up so that the light from the screen disturbs other people would be a start. No refund. Just post a sign. Thirty seconds after the "Feature Presentation" message displays on the screen you can be ejected with no refund for any cell phone or other electronic device use, with no refund.
Furthermore, the offenders list could be added to a nationwide database. They could be charged more for tickets after the 3rd offense. Or banned from theatres alltogether. They can catch it at home on DVD if they can't respect other people. Used to be that people who wouldn't participate in society were branded "Outlaw" and were killed. Things started going down hill after we stopped doing that.

This would only work on a municipal level, but some places could enact fines for public disturbance in a theatre. Cell phone rings durring the presentation, $25, $50 or $100 fine. A great new revinue source... until people stopped bringing their phones into theatres. It's a shame when you have to legislate polite behavior, but since we can no longer shoot people for social faux pas as we did in the old West, something has to be done.

I for one am a fan of the good old fashioned beat down. Wouldn't it be great if we could all just jump the jerk with the ringing phone and beat him to a pulp right there?
Could you imagine how funny it would be to see a jerk show up in an emergency room and hear:
Nurse: Wow, this guy's a mess.
EMT: Yeah, he had it coming though.
Nurse: Where did this happen?
EMT: The theater at the mall.
Nurse: Oh, another inconsiderate cell phone user.
EMT: Yup.
Nurse: Well, we're gonna need a proctoscope to get his phone then.

[Merlin]

I go to the movies fairly often I can say that the use of cell phones has dropped off rather dramatically. Where I go it seems people have finally gotten the point.

I think the bazillion messages to turn them off have sunk in.


As for the blocking of signals - I think it is agreat idea. And Grimm...if you need to coordinate with your mates just step out into the lobby. Everybody is happy.

Now all I need to do is get one of these jammers and put it in my car. Nobody driving within 50yards can make a call. Wonderful.

[Cubsfan]

Theaters are privately owned. They have every right to restrict their guests from using cell phones while on the premises. The signals inside the theatre could be considered to be their property, such as a broadcast that enters your home. It's no great leap to assert the right to set up jammers. So long as the jamming signal does not leave the theatre it should be entirely legal. Interestingly, it appears as if cell phone jamming is actually theft (according to howstuffworks.com). Therefore, this is definately illegal.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-jammer5.htm

[sizemic1]

I hope every restaurant follows this line of thinking too.

[Bires]

this is definately illegal.

It is.

I hope this doesn't get all the way to the point where the courts have to play the overkill police.

[VTGreg]

I think jamming a cell phone signal is overkill in this situation. Just post signs and have an announcement prior to the movie beginning that anyone using a cell phone will be kicked out without a refund. I know there have been situations where I was expecting a call and left my phone on vibrate while at a movie. When it went off I walked out of the theatre and took my call.

It boils down to common courtesy. I think the patrons need to try and police this a bit more themselves. If people are being rude, ask them to stop the behavior. If they continue, get an usher and get them kicked out.

[cheapie]

i want to be able to have the babysitter call if there's an emergency. i don't answer it while inside the theater...just step outside and call back. i would be pissed if something happened while i was inside and didn't know about it for an hour or so.

[LegendKiller]

Great idea. I have no problems at all with them blocking phones and/or ejecting people who constantly open them up or talk loudly.

We can't stand going to movies where people have to have a running narrative of what's going on, ie Scary Movie type stuff. As was said before, people think their tickets give them the right to ruin other peoples experience.

[Grimm]

i want to be able to have the babysitter call if there's an emergency. i don't answer it while inside the theater...just step outside and call back. i would be pissed if something happened while i was inside and didn't know about it for an hour or so.
What did people do before cell phones? They just let go for a few hours and let the babysitter worry about it. If you don't trust your babysitter to handle anything that comes up, you need to get another sitter. If anything terrible happens 911 can handle it better than you can. Anything less than that can wait an hour or two.

[molecularfire]

I dunno... I can see situations where people might need to know that someone else is calling them in order to know to go to the lobby and answer the phone (ex: Cheapie's hot baby sitter scenario)... so blocking the signal might be overkill. How about we all just make a law that says that if someone is inconsiderate enough to not have their cell phone on vibrate and/or talk on the cell phone during the movie that everybody in the theatre gets to kick them in the a$$ on the way out.

[brainsmile]

how about just putting something in the previews portion of the movie asking for no cell phones or placing them on silent

[johnnymk]

How 'bout if a cell phone goes off that the seat where the person is stting has a device which instantly electrocutes him/her?

[Bires]

How 'bout if a cell phone goes off that the seat where the person is stting has a device which instantly electrocutes him/her?

Like what I have in my classroom, only less lethal. :)

[Merlin]

how about just putting something in the previews portion of the movie asking for no cell phones or placing them on silent
Every theatre that I have been to already has this.

[gear02]

Every theatre that I have been to already has this.

very few people listen to it. I mean it's mixed into all of the ads and previews and stuff.

[molecularfire]

How 'bout if a cell phone goes off that the seat where the person is stting has a device which instantly electrocutes him/her?
You know, we could do this with a device which just measures the total noise coming from a seat and increases the amperage based on how much noise is emitted per chair...

[Jeffbx]

i want to be able to have the babysitter call if there's an emergency. i don't answer it while inside the theater...just step outside and call back. i would be pissed if something happened while i was inside and didn't know about it for an hour or so.


:stupid:

And it's not a matter of trusting the babysitter - it's the ability to know right away if something is wrong. I have no doubts that if one of my kids had an accident while we were away, whoever we had watching the kids would handle it appropriately. But I still want to know about it right away, not after I get home.

Plus this is just a lawsuit waiting to happen - cell signal is blocked & some doctor doesn't get an emergency call back to the hospital, or some fireman doesn't get a call to respond to a fire, etc. They're not just for personal convenience - they are important tools to many people.

The theaters need to enforce their no-cell phone policies. Heck, back when I was in high school I worked in a theater & we were told to kick people out for putting their feet on the seats in front of them (after a warning or 2, of course). If the theaters are having problems withe cell phone users, they need to step up their staff to take care of the situation. Problems were handled this way:

1 - warning to stop whatever they're doing (maybe 2 or 3 warnings, depending on the severity of the issue).
2 - they don't stop, ask them to step outside the theater, and kick them out of the building
3 - any problems, theater security steps in & gives them the choice of leaving immediately or sticking around & waiting for the cops to arrive.
4 - if they're stupid enough to wait for the cops, they're ticketed for disorderly conduct (or something similar, I forget exactly) & made to leave anyway

It was a VERY busy theater & would regularly sell out shows, and we had very very few incidents. I think most of the problem today is that the theaters simply don't have enough staff to enforce the rules. If it's that much of a problem, they need to beef up their staff & take care of it.

[Cubsfan]

It'd be cool if your cell phone company was alerted when you were in the theater. Then they could provide a message saying something like "The person you are trying to call is watching a movie. If this is an emergency, then please hit 0 and you will be connected. If not, please leave a voicemail."

[ShawnLee]

Jamming is illegal. The option I last heard as being thought of was signal eating material that absorbed signals. Not really the same thing, but effectively the same end result.