FAA To Consider Lifting Cell Phone Ban On Planes
According to many media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, the FAA is looking at letting airline passengers use cell phones during flights:
While cellphone use would still be restricted during takeoff and landing, the proposal would lift an FCC ban on airborne calls and cellular-data use by passengers once a flight reaches 10,000 feet.
That would remove a regulatory hurdle to in-flight calls, but it would be up to the airlines themselves whether to allow them. Airlines have said they would approach the matter cautiously because of strong objections from their customers. The carriers also would have to install equipment on their planes to communicate with cellphone towers on the ground.
So, while I was in favor of the FAA allowing the use of iPads and the like in flight, I am not a fan of this. I really don’t want to hear the cell phone conversations of other people on my next flight. I am sure others feel the same way. One can hope that airlines mirror what GO Transit in the Greater Toronto area has done with their Quiet Zones to make sure people like me are happy during a flight.
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