It looks like cell phones will continue to
be banned from use on airline flights within the U.S.
The Federal
Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration
have been considering an end to their bans on in-flight usage. But
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said March 22 that he was recommending
that the FCC end its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proceeding on
the possible lifting of the ban.
He cited
continuing wireless industry concerns that in-flight cell phone use
would interfere with cell phone usage on the ground.
Martin has
circulated to the four other FCC commissioners a proposed order to
end the rulemaking proceeding, an agency spokeswoman
said.
Under that
process, the four commissioners do not have to vote on the order
together at an open meeting. Instead, they can cast their votes
electronically, individually and at any time, so there's no telling
when such a vote will be concluded, she said.
Industry experts
have told the FCC that in-flight usage can cause static, dropped
calls or other interference with cell phone users on the ground
below.
But some
telecommunications service providers have argued that recent
developments in technology could alleviate that.
The advances have
produced the ability to provide wireless broadband services using
small, lightweight, efficient receivers onboard an aircraft, with
resulting packets of information being beamed to a network of
ground towers capable of handing off signals as an airplane crosses
the continent.
But those
advances, apparently, have not yet gone far enough in the eyes of
the FCC.
Killing off the
proposal would please many travelers.
Thousands
with something to say
The FCC has
received more than 8,000 comments since it issued its NPRM on
in-flight cell phone usage in December 2004, many of them from
travelers horrified by the prospect of sitting next to a loud and
chatty cell phone user throughout their flight.
Of course, there
are travelers who have looked forward to the option to use their
cell phones in flight.
But they might
have to be content with doing that overseas.
Later this year,
pending regulatory approvals, Ryanair is planning to allow phone
usage on all flights, and Emirates is planning to allow usage on
some of its flights to the U.K., Europe, Asia and
Australia.
Emirates is
setting rules on usage, including when passengers can use them and
how many can use them at one time. Emirates is using the AeroMobile
system, which lets cabin crew control the system; the crew, for
example, could limit cell phone usage to text messaging or cut off
access entirely.
Last year
AeroMobile signed a Technical Services Agreement with Boeing for
the installation of AeroMobile's in-flight mobile phone solution.
The agreement allows AeroMobile to be an airline-specified option
for all current Boeing aircraft, with the system installed and
certified by Boeing when aircraft are manufactured.
To contact
reporter Andrew Compart, send e-mail to [email protected].