Have Cell Phone Rings Gone Too Far?

If there's one thing you can't get in New York City, it's silence.

But some legislators think that New York has heard too much of one sound in particular: cell phone ringtones.

The city's Center for Reduction of Noise Pollution issued a public call to action last month, citing an increased number of confrontations spawned by a new phenomenon: It's called "ring rage," and it involves strangers getting into fights over obnoxious cell phone ringtones.

David Yassky, a member of the New York City Council for the 33rd District in Brooklyn, has proposed a bill to regulate cell phone rings.

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Distracting ringtones in the workplace cost the economy more than $1.2 billion each year, says Yassky. His bill mandates that New York residents choose between four more palatable rings, custom-made by the city.

"We wanted one of them to be Bobby DeNiro's monologue from Taxi Driver — 'You talkin' to me?' — but we couldn't get the rights," says Yassky.

Many New Yorkers have been outraged at the possibility of being told what rings they can and cannot use, especially since anyone caught using an unauthorized tone will be subject to heavy fines.

Yassky speaks with Liane Hansen about the measure, which he says would be strictly enforced by the police.

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