The French government's industry minister Patrick Devedjian, backing up a decision by the Telecommunications Regulation Authority, gave to go-ahead Oct. 8 on a motion to allow theatres, cinemas and concert halls install mechanisms which would jam cell phones. The one proviso is that the hardware permit emergency calls to get through.
Cell phone use at theatres, movie houses, concerts, museums, libraries and galleries was banned in New York City in early 2003, despite resistance from Mayor Michael Bloomberg. However, even the law's supporters admit it is virtually unenforceable. Unwanted cell phone interruptions remain endemic in Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres.
