Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Why we should license the use of cell phones

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 15:19:46 -0500

Should You Need A License To Operate A Mobile Phone?
Contributed by mmasnick on Fri, Nov 14 2003

It's no secret that there are a lot of idiotic people out there, and when you
put mobile phones in the hands of such
people, they tend to do (you guessed it) idiotic things. However, it seems a bit
extreme to suggest that people
should be required to get a license to operate a mobile phone. The suggestion
appears to be (half) joking, but even
the list of "example" test questions are a bit silly. Proper mobile phone
etiquette is simple: don't annoy other
people. Anything you do with your mobile phone that will involve annoying or
potentially harming others is probably
a bad idea. If it's not going to do that, then you're probably fine.
=========================================================================

Why we should license the use of cell phones
Power Trip / Christopher Elliott

http://www.bcentral.com/articles/elliott/157.asp

When it comes to using wireless gadgets on the road, especially in public places
such as trains, airport terminals and hotel lobbies, wireless subscribers should
be required to carry a license.

In my opinion, powering up a portable is a privilege, not a right. And it's a
privilege travelers have abused for too long by turning on their mobile phones
when they aren't supposed to, by endangering people around them, and by engaging
in impolite behavior on their handhelds.
Consider:

 Motorists who talk on cell phones are four times more likely to be involved in
a car accident, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study.

 Mobile phone transmission while on-board an aircraft may interfere with
equipment including communications, navigation and flight control systems, says
the United Kingdom's Civil Aviation Authority.People are so exasperated by
inconsiderate chatter that 70% of respondents to a recent CF Group survey
supported the use of wireless jamming devices in places of worship, libraries
and movie theaters.
document.write('');

We've tried enacting laws to stop this mobile-phone madness, such as rules to
prevent people from driving while talking on a phone. We forbid phone use on
commercial aircraft. We've tried appealing to people's sense of politeness. But
nothing seems to work. A recent survey by Public Agenda, which concludes that
Americans are "intensely frustrated by the lack of respect they encounter in
their daily lives," finds that 17% of the people polled admit to using cell
phones "in a loud or annoying way."
I think the only effective solution to cell phone abuse by travelers is to make
them get a permit to operate a mobile phone.
Don't laugh. We require licenses for lesser things. Why not for cell phones?

I'll admit it's an idea that would be a tough sell. But let's say,
hypothetically, that there was a test. Would you pass? Try your hand at my
mobile phone pop quiz to see if you'd be able to carry a phone:
1. The preferred ringer volume while you're traveling is:

a) vibrate

b) low

c) high

The correct answer is: A. No one wants to hear your phone going off, even if
you've just downloaded a really cool ringer tune. Save it for later. "It's
critical to have your phone on vibrate, because the amount of background noise
means you often won't hear the audio ring sound in a noisy place," says Timothy
O'Neil-Dunne, a partner for a technology company in Tampa, Fla. "But you do tend
to feel the vibration."

2. When you're in a noisy airport terminal and having difficulty hearing on the
phone, the best course of action is:

a) Tell everyone around you to be quiet.

b) Raise your voice, just in case the person you're talking with can't hear you
either.

c) Turn up the volume in your earpiece.

The correct answer is: C. Don't yell. You won't hear your conversation any
better, but people around you will. "My theory is that people on cell phones
annoy others not because they are using the cell phones, but because their
conversations are loud and intrusive," says Jana Corzine, a college
administrator in Lubbock, Texas. Her advice? "Turn the volume up in your
earpiece — and turn your vocal volume down."

3. The aircraft gate is closed, but you need to make one last call before
takeoff. What do you do?

a) Wait until you land at your destination.

b) Wait until the flight attendant isn't looking, and then make the call.

c) Wait until you're airborne, go to the restroom, and call from there.

The correct answer is: A. The bathroom call probably won't work (although there
are anecdotal reports that a personal digital assistant with e-mail sometimes
works in flight). If the plane is moving, your wireless devices should be
powered down. Come on, folks, this is common sense. "There is a time and place
for cell phones," says Lynn Murphy, a retiree from Anacortes, Wash. Where else
shouldn't a cell phone be used? "In a doctor's office, the theater, and while
driving a car," she says.

4. You've managed to stay off the phone for the entire flight. Now that you're
on terra firma, when should you power up your cell phone?

a) After the second bounce.

b) In the airport terminal.

c) Power it up? I never turned it off.

The correct answer is: B. Stay off the phone until you're off the plane. Choices
A and C are clearly dangerous, and if you answered either of those you should
probably automatically fail this test. "What is so important that you need to
make a call the moment the doors of the aircraft have opened?" asks Ed Kummel, a
network engineer from Ashburn, Va. "While you hold your phone in one hand and
struggle with your carry-on in your other, you are blocking the egress of every
passenger behind you. Hang up and call when you have room to move."

5. You're driving your rental car along the freeway when you realize you're
lost. The best response is:

a) Immediately pick up your cell phone and call for directions.

b) Keep driving and hope you recognize the neighborhood you're in.

c) Pull over and call for directions — or ask someone.

The correct answer is: C. "Stay off your cell phone when driving a rental car in
a strange city," urges Jim Calvert, a manager for a dental-supply company in St.
Paul, Minn. "It will be the death of you." He's not exaggerating. Study after
study has linked talking on a cell phone with auto accidents.

So how did you do? If you're a frequent traveler, you should have aced this
test. If you travel only occasionally, you can miss one and still get one of my
cell phone licenses.

The rest of you — and you know who you are — need a wireless etiquette lesson.
I'm not kidding. Maybe you should spend a little time at a place like the
Charleston (S.C.) School of Protocol and Etiquette, where founder Cynthia Grosso
can teach you wireless manners.

"After all," she says, "the way you handle your cell phone is really the way you
live your life."
Christopher Elliott is the editor of Elliott's E-mail, a free weekly newsletter
for travelers, and the publisher of Triprights.com, a site about travel rights.
You can e-mail him or visit his Web site.

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/