Nov 2, 2007 4:14 pm US/Eastern
Bloomberg Dreams Of Jamming Cell Phones In Schools
NEW YORK (AP) ―
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Mayor Bloomberg wants to jam the signal for cell phones in New York City public schools. (File)
AP
Cell phones are already banned in New York City public schools, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg would like to take it a step further and "jam" the signal for the kids who still bring them. Problem is, it's against the law to do so.
"Just put it in every school, and even if the kid carried the cell phone in, they couldn't use it during the day," Bloomberg said Friday on his weekly radio show. "And I'd love to do that ... but I'm told that technology is illegal."
Cell phone jamming is prohibited in the United States, and is considered by some to pose a safety risk because emergency calls could not be made.
Some establishments that want peace and quiet like theaters and churches are learning how to block calls by using building materials that reduce or eliminate the signals.
Cell phones and pagers have been outlawed for years in the nation's largest school system, but students carried them mostly without consequence until officials began seizing the devices in random security checks.
This sparked a fierce battle with parents and students on one side and the Bloomberg administration on the other, refusing to lift the ban.
Parents argue they have the right to always be in touch with their children, some of whom have long subway and bus commutes to school.
Bloomberg loathes cell phone interruptions in any environment, and believes they have the potential to be more than an occasional annoyance in classrooms; phones could be used to cheat, take photos, play games and even organize mischievous activity, he has said.
Of course, many of those features would still function even if the signals were blocked.
While Bloomberg believes mobile phones have no place inside a school, he also said he's willing to consider a proposal to use cell phone and free minutes to reward kids for academic achievement.
Under the proposal, students that excel could earn free minutes on donated phones. The phones, like all others, would not be allowed in school.
"We certainly have not signed on, but we'll listen to anything," Bloomberg said. "I don't think we should automatically say no and we certainly aren't there yet to do it."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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