There's considerably less "buzz" in the New Brunswick legislature this week, as the Speaker has banned the use of BlackBerrys in the house, hoping to clear up problems with the simultaneous translation system.

Speaker Eugene McGinley is concerned that the constant buzzing of the wireless communications devices could interfere with the simultaneous translation staff as they try to hear what the politicians are saying.

So on Tuesday, he decided to try an experiment.

"If you haven't left them outside, turn them off," McGinley told members of the legislature. "Make sure they're turned off during the regular order of business of the house."

McGinley says if it turns out the BlackBerrys are not the cause of the problem, he'll lift the ban. If they are, the ban stays permanently.

Bathurst MLA Brian Kenney said it's valuable for him to be able to communicate wirelessly while he's sitting in his seat in the legislature.

"I think it's really imperative that we can get back to our constituents as fast as possible," Kenney said, and he denies the devices are a distraction.

"We pay attention no matter what," Kenney said. "We're multitasking all the time in there. It's very important to pay attention no matter whether you have a BlackBerry in your pocket or not."