Absolutely. If I'm driving and using my cellphone (in a legal or illegal manner), and the network is suddenly screwed up, I'll probably be more distracted since I'm trying to solve the "problem" with my phone in addition to driving.
Using a phone when driving is completely legal, as long as it is hands free. Most modern cars have bluetooth for that.
And I agree, someone could become distracted. For example, some cars don't show signal strength on the dash, one might pull a phone out of pocket to investigate.
> Using a phone when driving is completely legal, as long as it is hands free.
This is not universally true, and as a matter of policy, it should not be true -- making phone calls while driving is distracting, whether you are holding the phone in your hands or not.
Malarkey about how talking to someone on the phone, vs in person is a different level of distraction is silly, too. As long as your eyes are on the road, as long as it's hands free, it's fine.