To be clear, I said regulated not physically disabled. I also didn't limit it to something for simply being annoying.
Examples of disabling technology are much harder to come by since you're usually not reliant on a business for the service. But there are a number of businesses I've been in that ban their use for calls. The ubiquitous example being libraries.
There's other types of regulations like on vehicles. Semis can't use engine brakes in populated areas simply because they're annoying. Airplanes have to follow elevation, ground speed and flight path rules not just for safety but also for sound disturbance. There are noise code restrictions in almost every municipality day and night with night being more restrictive (knew quite a few people popped for that my teenage years).
If cell phone jammers were legal I think you'd find a lot of businesses employing them. As it is, there's no service on airlines but for the airlines providing it. In effect, they can jam communications by simply limiting service. They're in a completely different set of circumstances than, say, a movie theatre, hospital, or library.
I think what needs to be understood is that airlines are a special circumstance in which people are confined in a small space with no ability to get away. Most people are sleeping, reading, or watching a movie. The vast majority of people find phone calls to be aggravating in those circumstances so the airlines will do what they can to keep the majority of their customers happy.
Enough typing on my phone...
