Cellphone Chatter at 35,000 Feet? Say It Ain’t So

Posted on Mar 29, 2006

Despite widespread public disapproval of the move, the FCC plans to allow companies to provide cellphone service on airplanes.

You may remember the FCC: It’s the one that got so bent out of shape about Janet Jackson’s breast. Seems the agency is continuously looking out for our best interests....

Christian Science Monitor:

NEW YORK - Hold on - fasten your seat belts, and put those tray tables up: Come May, the Federal Communications Commission plans to auction off some of the last remaining spectrum to companies that want to provide cellphone service at 35,000 feet.

While polls show the vast majority of Americans are opposed to in-air phone chatter - almost 70 percent in some surveys - technological innovations and market forces appear to be moving the nation’s regulatory framework toward approving it. The FCC has said it could allow the service as early as next year. The Federal Aviation Administration has signaled that as long as airlines are confident it poses no safety threat, it would be in favor of lifting the ban as well.

Yet those who cherish cellphone-free flying sanctuaries still have hope. A study published this month found that - counter to what many Americans believe - cellphone radio signals do “present a clear and present danger” by interfering with sensitive navigational equipment.

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