Which is very wrong.
Block my BlackBerry when it is in vibrate mode and there will be discussions. It's 2006. I cannot be out of touch with the rest of the world for 2.5 hours.
Then go to a different theater. If enough people agree with you, then I'll lose business and change my policy. If not, too bad for you.
I'm sorry. I assumed you knew at least something of which you spoke.
"Cell" communications are for pagers, business devices, emergency devices, computers and just plain phones. The idea that some dolt could flip a switch and throw out the baby with the bathwater is dangerous. I could give a care less about your immature customers who are so ill-mannered that they would take a call in the middle of a movie. Police that. Don't cut off a lifeline to the rest of the planet because you are too damned afraid to straighten a patron out for the sake of the rest of your patrons.
"Then go to a different theater. If enough people agree with you, then I'll lose business and change my policy. If not, too bad for you."
Easy to say, not easy to do. Ok, so let's say they Block Nextel, - which happens to be interleaved in frequency with Public Safety radios (you'll be blocking fire dept, police, ambulance too) or Cellular A band which is adjacent......
There are a ton of unintended consequences with this - in this case they are mostly bad.
However, if they hired bouncers to kick out unruly customers, including those using cellphones - which is totally within their right as a place of business, I submit the unintended consequences would be mostly GOOD.
This is a dumb idea - no matter how you slice it.
Ok, scenario #2....you have a restaurant next to the theater - and you want your patrons to be able to use cellphones - how do you stop the theaters system from blocking signals in your establishment? It probably would involve lawyers.
Scenario #3.....what would stop some enterprising person from using this technology to extract revenue from cellphone providers to selectively "allow" signals from one carrier and not another - say by approaching businesses en masse and offering to share revenue? (what would stop competing cell providers from jamming competitors signals in this way, in certain areas by teaming with business owners?......probably nothing)
No, like a common currency, this is one of those things where the gov't, as incompetent as they are, and the FCC as stupid as they can be, are better at managing radio spectrum than anyone else.