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There are 2 types of people these days: those with some sense of cellphone etiquette and propriety, and those who would leave their phone on at a funeral. And take the call.

After stewing in their misery as runaway inconsiderate cellphone usage has ruined movies, meals and concerts, those who prefer to occasionally have some quiet time have some options now. Cellphone jammers can effectively end any cellphone calls and prevent new connections from being made by broadcasting a strong signal which disrupts the phones’ communications. Only thing is, this is illegal. For 2 reasons, it seems:

1. Indiscriminate use of these jammers could possibly wind up interrupting communications of emergency crews (fire, ambulance, police). While the odds of this happening seem pretty low, it certainly could have tragic consequences.
2. Cellphone companies pay big bucks to the FCC for access to certain frequencies. Jammers would essentially block them from getting what they paid for. Now this is the real reason behind the law. Do they have a point? Sure, but their products are also responsible for disrupting the lives of non-users’. So it’s a little hard to feel bad for them if you’ve ever had to bear someone relaying intimate details of their life over the phone on the subway.

This all came up because of an article in the New York Times - Devices Enforce Cellular Silence, Sweet but Illegal. Apparently, more and more people are sourcing cell jammers from outside the US. Pocket models appear to be popular, since a user can ‘zap’ conversations of people around himself if he finds them annoying. Vigilantism? Sure. Is it satisfying? I bet it is.

Stay tuned for the first case of cellphone-blocked-signal-rage, and the court case which follows.