New York City Subway Stations Getting Wired

You're either going to land on one side of the fence on this issue or the other: There is no middle ground. New York City is, after two years of planning and debating, is finally going forward with plans to wire NYC subway stations for cell phone and Wi-Fi access. The platforms will have service. The tunnels themselves will not.

The level of ambition on this project is decidedly small for now: All of six platforms will be wired over the next two years. Only after the Transit Authority sees the results of those experiments will the remaining 271 stations be lit up.

Opponents are of course concerned that the already rowdy NYC subway system will only get worse with the addition of cell phones and clattering laptops. But New York is, of course, the city that never sleeps, and many commuters welcome the ability to cram an extra few minutes into their work day while they're waiting for a train to arrive.

But will the added noise of a few dozen cell phone conversations add to the neuroses of already-haggard Manhattanites still groggy on a Monday morning? Public opinion is decidedly mixed: Many dismiss cell phone chatter as "mere background noise," while others find it a personal affront during the commute hour. The MTA, for its part, has a more altruistic motive: Cell phones could be used to communicate with first responders underground during an emergency situation (and presumably anyone else trapped where a signal wouldn't otherwise reach them).

You've made your position known on cell phones in the skies. What do you think about cells on the subway? 

LINK: Subway stations get wired