FCC in-flight call ban likely to remain in place

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, would seem to have put an end to the possible lifting of a current ban on in-flight cell phone calls. Proceedings had begun back in 2013 to lift the ban which had been in place since 1991 due to the then concerns of cell phones having the potential to jam signals from ground-based relay stations. This has now become virtually irrelevant as many planes now have their own cell phone towers to provide in-flight entertainment.
On Monday of this week Pai called on other commissioners to join him in ending the proceedings to lift the ban. Technically, the FCC must vote on Pai’s proposed order to keep the ban; this should succeed as a second of the three current commissioners, Michael O’Rielly, is also against lifting it. The third FCC commissioner, Mignon Clyburn, is reported to be a supporter of lifting the ban.
Pai is quoted as saying: “I stand with airline pilots, flight attendants, and America’s flying public against the FCC’s ill-conceived 2013 plan to allow people to make cell phone calls on planes. Taking it off the table permanently will be a victory for Americans across the country who, like me, value a moment of quiet at 30,000 feet.”
In 2013, the Federal Aviation Administration lifted restrictions on the use of electronic devices on flights providing they didn’t interfere with a plane’s navigation equipment. Subsequently, the FCC took up the matter and advanced its proposed rule. In February 2014, the Transportation Department sought public opinion about whether to allow voice calls during flights.
Bob Ross, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents crews at American Airlines, is understood to have said that: “Allowing in-flight cellphone calls was such a bad idea that it brought virtually everyone in the aviation community — passengers, policymakers and flight crews, first and foremost — together in opposition. The proposal raised serious concerns about the safe operation of the aircraft, which is APFA’s top priority. It also put the comfort of our passengers in jeopardy.”