The bill, written by Councilman Philip Reed, is being harshly criticized by a cellular phone industry which has already seen New York impose a ban on cell phone use while driving. According to terms of the bill there would be a $50 fine for violation of the ban. Exceptions would be made for emergencies.
Although the legislation leaves room for emergencies I believe that it is a safety hazard to ban cellphone use in public places. Imagine if you're on an emergency call and a Police Officer comes up to you and forces you to hang up the phone. Even if it is an emergency the officer may force you to hang up so that you can explain the situation. If this is a life-or-death situation precious time would be wasted while you attempted to explain the situation.
Reed says that he has proposed the ban because cellular phone use is distracting, annoying, "and as a public nuisance, it should be against the law." "Apparently, the requests of theater management and the disapproval of the rest of the audience is not enough for some people to quit their gabbing," Reed said. "You have to legislate so they'll put it on vibrate."