I came across the article, “Underground Cellphone Service Expands, but Some Call for Quiet.” And I thought, well that’s strange, who wouldn’t be happy about this? I mean personally, I think this is great. If people are able to communicate underground it could increase security and lessen crime. People would be able to call 911 and potential theives/muggers/perverts would realize this as well. Secondly, if you need to get in contact with someone you can. In the past, I experienced forgetting to send a text or place a call, but it’s already too late once I’m already beyond the turnstiles. Also, if the train is delayed, people could let others know they will be running late. The list goes on and on.
Potential objectors to this new expansion might argue that the train rides will become even less pleasant with people able to talk on the phone now. But I think this is an easy fix, wear headphones. I mean, if you look for the solice of a quiet ride home on a busy train, that’s your mistake. Why should everyone else have to suffer? Expanding cellphone service benefits certainly outweigh the downsides. And quite frankly, I think it’s about time they do this. They keep increasing the fare so it’s nice to see some improvements. The United States has the money and capabaility to make these changes to the MTA. And we spend money on wars and on everything everywhere else so I think this improvement is long overdue.
Check out the link and let me know what you think. Does the good outweigh the bad, or not?
When I visited Seoul, Korea two years ago, I was surprised that all subway systems had underground phone reception, and also, free Wi-Fi system. The benefits of underground cell service definitely outweigh disadvantages. Especially in New York, we are all busy and have to be somewhere on time. But, sometimes trains are just messed up and you end up spending more than 20 minutes in unmoving train. I think MTA should have done it a long time ago for security reasons and our convenience.