I just got back from a nice weekend get away at the ski slopes.

I turn on my PC and open up my browser... first thing that I see... an article on slashdot that caught my attention. War on cell phones.
Boy... I could have used on of these cellphone jammers this weekend.

I was just trying to relax in the lodge (giving my legs a break from 5hrs of constant workout)and there are people screaming over the music the DJ was playing talking on their cell phones. While cell phones are nice when you need them, they can be a pain sometimes. Eating out, you see people on cell phones. At the movies, phones constantly ringing. I hate that. I at least put my phone on vibrate and take the call in private, or call them back when I'm not around a bunch of people.

Anywho, an interesting article.

Cell jammers declare war with signal

Seems that its pretty easy to get a hold of these jammers too. They aren't too expensive either. You can find them on the web, on ebay or even build your own. Here is an quote from one site selling them...

This cell phone jammer looks just like a cell phone and is ideal for use when commuting on the bus and train or when eating in restaurants etc, anywhere where you need effective control at close quarters!

Make sure you have this phone jammer with you whenever you are out and about as you never know when you are going to need to use it. With this cell phone jammer switched on in your pocket you will be able to silence those anti-social types who insist on using their mobile phones in the most indiscrete way, the beauty is that they will not know it is you that has switched them off!, all they will see is that their signal has dropped on their phone. When you have had your meal or enjoyed your coffee in peace and quiet, you can then switch off your phone jammer and continue on your way completely stress free.
http://www.globalgadgetuk.com/Personal.htm

Everyone's Jamming Cell Phones

Contributed by mmasnick on Monday, December 8 2003 @ 12:37am
Mobile phone signal jammers are illegal in the US, but that doesn't mean they're not used. They're apparently increasingly common, and are expected to spread quite a bit in the near future. The FCC says that using a jammer is considered "theft" of airwaves, because that spectrum has been allocated as property to a commercial entity. The writer of the article wonders, though, about "passive jamming" - such as putting up buildings made of material that block out cell phone signals. While some don't like the idea of having their signals blocked - others think it may become a lot more popular in the future, if only to have areas to "disconnect". The article points to the rise of camera phones as a "bottom up surveillance society" as a reason why we might want areas that have no signal. That makes little sense to me, since anyone using a camera phone can still snap the picture, and then just upload it later when they're in range of a signal. Still, it will be interesting to see if anti-jamming equipment becomes popular. Most people have no idea if a jammer is being used, since it just looks like there's no service. This makes it very difficult to figure out if someone is using a jammer, and means that no one's getting caught using these things right now.
source

If you use one of these in your establishment... say, a movie theater, would it still be "illegal"?
Do you "own" the airwaves that flow through your physical property?

Anywho... do you think they should be legal? Why or why not?

I can see some bringing up emergency situations, where jammers could interfere... but if its an emergency, and you're in a movie theater, then leave. Or, go to the lobby and use a pay phone.