Keller @ Large: There's Not Enough Silence

BOSTON (CBS) - In Washington, one questionable decision often begets another.

And that may be the case with the Federal Communications Commission's decision to open the door to cellphone use on airplanes, just weeks after the Federal Aviation Administration allowed more widespread use of electronic gadgets in the air.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

Watching movies with earphones on or texting away on your phone is one thing.

But cellphones?

If you thought "Snakes on a Plane" was a bad horror movie, wait until you're stuck on a long flight with a squalling baby on one side and a yammering yuppie on the other.

Thankfully, the FCC is soliciting comments before they move ahead with this, and if customer feedback is anything like it has been in the past, the idea will be quietly buried.

Quietly. That's the key word here.

The joke going around on Twitter Thursday when this news broke was that airline passengers will be eager to pay extra for access to the quiet compartment on a plane with cellphone users, just as train passengers now scramble for seats on the quiet car, where they are spared the banal details of their neighbor's life and the useless updates on which station they are now passing.

And that desire to escape the noise speaks to a deeper problem with the way we live now – not enough silence.

Perhaps like you, I'm not one who craves a lot of silence. In the car, there's news, talk or music going most of the time. At home, it's the same.

But a long ride somewhere is the perfect time to shut all that stuff off and just be alone with your thoughts.

And the last thing you want is someone nearby sharing thoughts that aren't worth that proverbial penny.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

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