FCC to Propose Lifting Air Travel Cellphone Ban Dylan Duarte November 21, 2013 I don’t know what’s up with the FAA lately, but I’ll have what they’re having. Last month the Federal Aviation Administration finally lifted their long-held (and long questioned) ban on electronic devices; passengers are now free to use a variety of handheld electronics during entire flights, including takeoff and landing. It looks like the newfound airborne freedoms aren’t stopping there, though, as the FCC will soon suggest the allowance of phone calls mid-flight. Even if the FCC is okay with it, the FAA must then approve it, and even then, it’s up to the airlines if they want to allow it or not. This would be a pretty substantial change to flight restrictions. The ban on electronic devices has been so ingrained into our culture that we’ve seen jokes about it on The Simpsons and Penny Arcade. Even as someone who doesn’t fly often, the electronics ban being lifted feels significant. The idea that flights may now be full of cell phone chatter as well is hard to imagine. via The Verge Share This With The World!
