A few days ago we told you about a man from Philadelphia, America who thought he would purchase a cell phone zapper to silence other people’s calls. The man’s actions opened up a lot of debate but the cell phone jammer is a violation of federal law.

Having to listen to other peoples conversations while in a public place can be highly distracting and unwanted, but surely it is not ok for someone just too simply block those calls? An article on PC World is reporting that research has found that inadvertently listening to someone’s conversation is not only distracting, but also lowers a person’s cognitive ability.

Researchers are saying that people have a tough time ignoring what is being called a “halfalogue”, as people cannot predict the speech pattern of this as they would with a two-way conversation. But what the man did was against the law, and the FCC has said on its website that the use of such equipment is against federal law. The fact such units could affect the use of police radar and GPS was highlighted.

The person in question has said he would stop the use of the jammer after he found out it was illegal, but the issue of whether a third-party could legally stop such cellular transmissions is a gray matter. The FCC is currently asking the public for their views on the matter, and if it would ever be appropriate for certain agencies to close down mobile networks in the name of public safety.

It has been revealed by the FCC that around seventy percent of 911 calls now originate from cell phones, but some are worried that these same cell phones could be used for things such as detonating explosives or organizing flash mobs. You can express your opinion on the matter via the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System up to the 30th of April.

Do you agree with the use of the phone jammers in certain circumstances?