Business Etiquette: The Hang Up Act

Information Week today published an article on the approval of The Hang Up Act from The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee which would ban mobile phone calls during flights.

Although a survey from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA shows 63% of people are against the use of cell phones during flights, I don’t think passing a law is the appropriate avenue to ask people to show restraint.

I remember a post by Dr. P.M. Forni commenting on quality of life laws and I agree with his comment. “I belong to a long line of people who believe that when we are civil we obey the unenforceable. We obey, that is, an unwritten code of decency because it’s the right thing to do and not because we are going to be put in jail if we don’t. I think we should educate our children, train them in civility, good manners and courtesy, and then hope that will become part of their identity, part of their emotional and cognitive kits.”

Let’s see what The U.S. House of Representatives has to say about the proposed Hang Up Act.

UPDATE This bill never became law. The bill was proposed in a previous session of Congress (110th session) and at the end of each session all proposed bills and resolutions that haven’t passed are cleared from the books.