Haven't there been studies that have shown phones in normal mode don't pose any risk. And this whole "policy" was just made up to force people to pay the extortion rates for airplane phones?

Obviously the whole thing is silly because other people were using electronics and not harassed, but does any electronic device actually pose a threat to an airplane? Doesn't the airplane itself use electronic devices, so wouldn't they run the risk of interference with other electronics on the plane if the plane wasn't "shielded"?