Todd Allcock <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> amazed us all with the
following in news:fv0sjs$5da$1@aioe.org:

> At 26 Apr 2008 22:25:23 -0400 Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
>
>> Not at all. If you found that you couldn't call an ambulance to
>> rescue your ailing mother, then later found out that the cell phone
>> company had made a deliberate decision to leave (or create!) a black
>> hole of signal in that area solely for financial reasons, you'd be
>> pissed.
>
>
> Perhaps, but I chose my cellphone company, coverage holes and all.
>
>> It's the same thing as the restaurant owner creating a black hole of
>> signal in his area.
>
> Not at all- the cellco can legally leave holes of coverage- electronic
> jamming is illegal.
>
>> You never had a RIGHT to complete an emergency call
>> on a cell phone; you made that up out of whole cloth, just because
>> YOU don't like the idea of people not wanting you to use a cell phone
>> in a restaurant or wherever.
>
> Perhaps, but if the restaurant has a "no cell" policy, post it and
> threaten to eject violators, or have customers check their phones at
> the door. Surrepititiously interfering with phones is illegal. If a
> restaurant doesn't want to allow me to quietly check my e-mail or look
> up a movie listing during lunch, let me know upfront, so I can eat
> elsewhere!
>
>
>

Except that they do have the legal authority to block cell phone signals in
a passive manner. And they are under no obligation to announce it.