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American Morning

City Councilman Proposes Banning Phones in Public Places

Aired August 15, 2002 - 09:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: So you're sitting in a quiet restaurant -- I know you have done this in New York, and been rudely interrupted by the guy sitting next to you who is blabbing on and on and on a cell phone, and a whole lot worse, in a Broadway show, where you paid a hundred bucks for a seat and a cell starts ringing. Well, maybe there should be a law. Maybe there will be, here in New York City anyway. A city councilman has proposed banning phones in restaurants, movies and other public places.
Now a quick poll of New Yorkers find some support for that idea, but there are those who are concerned about legislating good behavior.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of obnoxious to have someone's cell phone ringing in middle of watching a movie?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think inappropriate in a sense where I think it should be an understanding between people, as a matter of courtesy, just put it on silent or vibrate. But it shouldn't be imposed on someone, to be banned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had one occasion where somebody answered the phone and started talking. You know, you couldn't hear what the other person was saying, but she answered the movie. She was saying I'm in a movie right now, and the other person said, what are you seeing? I'm seeing this and that. And she went on for, like, a good 20, 25 seconds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Been there.

To debate the ban proposal, author and New York City councilman Phil Reed, and from Washington Tom Wheeler, president of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. Welcome, gentleman. Good to see both of you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

ZAHN: Good morning.

So councilman Reed, did you have a particularly obnoxious experience with someone on a cell phone that led you to believe we need this law. PHIL REED (D), NEW YORK CITY COUNCILMAN: I think it's all been cumulative over a period of time. I have had hundreds of people just sort of talk about this and in a social setting, and in conversation about it, so many people say, there ought to be a law. People are just sort of fed up, and would like to see something that gives them, a sense that there is a rule that they could at least point to for people. So I haven't had a specific incident; I have had hundreds of annoyances about this situation.

ZAHN: So, Tom, I know you believe, that a law isn't the answer. You have another technique you use when people are being pretty obnoxious intrusive on their cell phones. What do you do in the absence of a law?

TOM WHEELER, PRES., CELLULAR TELECOM & INTERNET ASSOC.: Well, you know, I don't think you can legislate commonsense. If there is a knucklehead sitting next to you, tell him he is a knucklehead, and stand up for your rights. You know, I get as upset as anybody when somebody is being rude in their use of their cell phone, but I don't think that you can change that by passing a law any more than New York's ban on jaywalking has stopped jaywalking.

But it probably is a good idea to see what we can do to have civility introduced into New York, but I'm not sure that this kind of a law is going to do it.

ZAHN: Mr. Wheeler, are you seriously telling me if you call someone a knucklehead in New York and you tell them to turn off that cell phone that's worked for you?

WHEELER: Not in New York. Knucklehead is not the term I think I would use in New York. But I think the point goes -- I tell you I was sitting on the metroliner the other day, and a woman was carrying on about her health concerns, that I found you know kind of obnoxious, and I said to her, excuse me, I'm really not interested in that, and she, oh, I'm sorry.

You know I think people want to be told, I think that you know you kind of go back to the rule your mother taught, you know, that what would other -- what did your mother say? What is right thing to do. Technology doesn't mean that it trumps basic rights.

ZAHN: Let's go on now, councilman Wheeler -- excuse me counselor Reed says in the absence of law that bad behavior will just continue.

I'm just curious, how would you police this?

REED: I think the point is that people want to have something to point to, to be able to say to people, this is not allowed. Also even the managers of the theater sometimes feel frustrated, and obviously, this man has not been to the movies in Flushing or uptown, or even at 42nd Street, so I think you know, I was on metroliner yesterday as well and people were rude, but there is I don't think we are going to have a fight break out. So we're just trying give people an opportunity to...

(CROSSTALK)

ZAHN: Hang on let councilman finish.

REED: Thank you.

We are just trying to give people an opportunity to say that common decency is on their side. Yes we have rules against jaywalking, and people have some sense that it is against the law. They make a decision.

But I think the overwhelming majority of people are going to be very happy when they walk into a theater, and it's not please turn cell phone off, it's against the law, turn your phone off. It is not -- you don't have to talk that much.

ZAHN: Councilman, what do you plan on, having cell phone police station in every theater in New York City? I mean, how would that work?

REED: I think New Yorkers will be able to figure out who to address that are for themselves, but you know, if you have to call the manager, and ask them to ask somebody to stop talking, then at some point could you say it against the law, ma'am or sir, because the violators are not just men, and it will work itself out. Too many people are worried about now we are going to have police -- I think the penalty ought to be to take the phone away from people. I think that would catch their attention the.

ZAHN: That might get attention. what do you think, Mr. Wheeler?

WHEELER: You know you go into the theaters today, at least theaters that I go to, and the first thing you see before the movie is a sign, paid for by the local wireless company, saying, turn off your phones. And that I think is what we need to be doing. I mean, I'm not sure that the disturbance of a phone, that kind of a thing, gets improved by suddenly bringing in the manager or the police or whatever, and creating a serious disturbance there in the theater.

But we let's go back, though to what everybody's responsibility is here. I mean, the answer isn't, hey, let's pass another law and say that we have done the job. The answer is, what's the industry doing to step forward do things like buy those signs that say "don't use your cell phone?" What are we doing, self-enforcing amongst ourselves?

ZAHN: Councilman says that doesn't work; it's not working.

WHEELER: I'm not sure -- do you -- Paula, you were talking about your kids earlier in the show. Do you want to be in a situation where it is against the law for you to get a phone call from babysitter, or do you want to be in a situation where somebody comes in from out of town who don't know what rules are, et cetera, and suddenly there is a commotion in the museum or the theater? I mean, there are all kinds of ways that we can deal with this short of passing a law.

(CROSSTALK) ZAHN: Councilman, you get the last word, and you've got to do it in about five seconds.

REED: Thank you. The law has exceptions for those emergencies. I think rank-and-file theatergoer is going to thank us in New York for setting a precedent.

ZAHN: Mr. Wheeler, I just wish I had thought of the knucklehead comment last night when I was trying to pull into a parking place, where someone was physically standing in this place saying he was saving it for his friend who was coming in a half hour. Somehow I don't think "knucklehead" would have worked in that situation. You what I did, I went around the block, thank you very much.

All right, councilman Reed, and Tom Wheeler, thank you very much for your time this morning. Appreciate it.

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