New Chairman Calls Plan 'Ill Conceived'

The new chairman of the FCC has reversed the agency's course on allowing cell phones to be used on airliners at cruising altitude.

The proposal was first introduced in 2013 by then-FCC-chairman Tom Wheeler. It would have still required cell phones to be placed in airplane mode for takeoff and landing, but would have allowed passengers to use them when their airliner was at cruising altitude.

In a statement, the new chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai (pictured), said that the idea does not serve the public interest. "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 cellphone calls on planes," Pai said in the statement posted on the FCC website. "I do not believe that moving forward with this plan is in the public interest.  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.”

The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) praised the decision by Pai to permanently shelve the idea. ""The FCC is making the right decision not to pursue lifting the ban on inflight calls. The traveling public and crew members do not want voice calls on planes," the union said in a statement. "It would jeopardize safety, security, increase conflict and exponentially raise the annoyance level of everyone in the cabin. Now the DOT should follow the FCC's lead and ban voice calls inflight. That's the only sensible, safe and secure course of action."

Individual airlines would have been allowed to make a determination as to whether they would have allowed cell phone use in their cabins.

(Image from FCC website)

FMI: www.fcc.gov, www.afacwa.org