Disruptive Cell Phones Should Be Silenced, DePauw Senior Tells Minnesota Public Radio

May 3, 2004

May 3, 2004, Greencastle, Ind. - [DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "Uncontrollable Compulsion" 417KB] "People can't be trusted to control their compulsion to always be in connection with someone," DePauw University senior Matt Pullin told the Minnesota Public Radio program Future Tense. The show examined the "jamming" of cell phones; the use of a device to disrupt cell phone service. The practice is legal in some other countries, but illegal in the USA. Pullin was interviewed because he tracks the issue on his Web site and believes steps must be taken to limit the intrusiveness of cell phones.

"In Loew's cineplexes they have a message before every movie, 'Please turn your cell phone off,'" Pullin told the NPR affiliate. "But people still talk on their cell phones during the movies. And it's hard and awkward to enforce. I was at a meeting of the DePauw Chess Club, which I participate in, and someone's cell phone went off. It was a Beethoven piece or something -- I didn't recognize the tune -- but it was so incredibly loud, even louder than the person who's taking the call and talking on it."

Pullin, a wide receiver on DePauw's football team, continued, [DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "Personal vs. Public Spaces" 307KB] "When a person is sharing half of their cell phone conversation with the surrounding environment, they're turning that public space into their own personal space. If you're in my personal residence or business, shouldn't I get to decide whether you receive a call or not?"

Program host Jeff Horwich asked the DePauw senior to "paint a picture of your perfect world where cell phone jammers are perfectly legal and in common use." Pullin elaborated, [DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "Limiting Access" 309KB] "[At] chess tournaments, movie theaters and concert halls, there would be paneling or devices in place that would prevent incoming calls. These establishments would be required to have some sort of a sign or universally-recognized sticker that [announce] jammers are in use there."

Access the complete segment at Minnesota Public Radio by clicking here. Visit Matt Pullin's Web site by clicking here.

Source: Minnesota Public Radio

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