Oh Joy, FCC Might Soon Allow Cell Phone Calls During Flight
The FCC has released a proposal to allow passengers to make phone calls once airplanes are above 10,000 feet. As you'd expect, the reactions are mixed.
By Barbara Peterson
The proposal will be discussed at the commission's December 12 meeting; after that, a public commenting period could begin. Not that the public is waiting that long to make their opinions known. Consumers have already started protesting—and most of the objections naturally stem from the prospect of having to listen to a plane full of passengers screeching "Can you hear me?" into their smartphones. One motivated protestor has already posted a petition to block the proposal on the White House website (it has only 620 signatures so far), writing:
On the tail of a wonderful move allowing electronics throughout the use of the flight, the FCC seeks to go TOO FAR in this instance. During flights, passengers are forced into a restricted space, often for long periods of time. Forcing them to listen to the inane, loud, private, personal conversations of a stranger is perhaps the worst idea the FCC has come up with to date.
But consumers don't have anything to worry about yet. The FCC's proposal, which would allow calls and texts only once planes are above 10,000 feet, could take more than a year to work its way through the regulatory process. And in practice, it would be up to the airlines to decide whether to install the equipment to allow widespread phone usage. JetBlue, United, and Delta—which were all firmly behind the recent easing of the personal electronics ban—have already issued statements that they are less than enthusiastic about the idea of phone calls. "Our initial customer feedback indicates people may not want the current FCC policy to change," a JetBlue spokesperson told us. "Safety is our first priority. If the FCC's new policy does go into effect, we would prioritize making the cabin comfortable and welcoming for all—for those who want cell service and for those who like peace and quiet." U.S. airlines wouldn't be the first to have to figure this out; some foreign airlines, notably Emirates and Air France, already allow cell calls on a limited basis on certain flights, and it hasn't caused any riots yet.
So it might not be too long before we'll be forced to listen to our seatmate's phone conversations. And besides, it's not an entirely new idea; the agency considered a repeal of the decades-old ban back against phone calls in 2004. It was flooded with protests then—but now, any lingering safety or technical issues have largely subsided, and the climate is very different after the FAA's recent loosening of rules on using electronic devices in the air.
One possible way for airlines to keep inflight calls to a minimum? Put a fee on them. It wasn't so long ago that you were able to call home from the plane using an "Airfone," a rather clunky device installed in seatbacks that you could activate with the swipe of a credit card. The fact that phone calls were so prohibitively expensive had the salutary effect of limiting the blabbing to bearable levels.
What do you think: Are you for or against this proposal?
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