The controversial ban on cell phones in movie theaters and performance spaces moved closer to becoming law yesterday, despite objections from Mayor Bloomberg.
The City Council’s Committee on Consumer Affairs voted 5-2 to override Bloomberg’s veto of the ban. Next week, the full council could cement that vote, handing Bloomberg his sixth override since he took office.
If the law is enacted, it would slap a $50 fine for patrons whose phones interrupt performances. It would apply not just to Broadway theaters and concert halls, but to libraries, galleries and any place where the public was gathered for cultural activity.
The mayor says that the law would affect tens of thousands of locations throughout the city and is thus unenforceable.