The Federal Aviation Administration would not comment on news reports that it may allow travelers to use Amazon Kindle devices during takeoff.
The FAA’s Portable and Electronic Device (PED) Advisory and Rulemaking Committee is studying current policies and will end its deliberations in July.
An FAA spokesman said that FAA regulations actually allow airlines to make the decisions on what can and can’t be used and right now. The current guidance is that travelers have to turn off everything while below 10,000 feet.
Cell phone use is under the jurisdiction of the FCC, which forbids their use in flight.
The PED rulemaking committee began meeting in January to consider expanded use of electronic devices such as cell phones in airplane mode, Kindle and Nook electronic readers and tablets.
The committee has more than two dozen members, who include representatives of the FAA, Amazon, airlines, pilot and flight attendant unions, aircraft manufacturers, the FCC and the Consumer Electronics Association.
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