The Federal Communications Commission is not willing to entertain your jabber while you are on a smartphone inside a commercial flight. FCC chairman Ajit Pai has issued an order which finally ends the proceedings of the case which begun in 2013, regarding the relaxation over the use of cellphones in air.
Just to make it clear, you may use your cell phones for any other purposes you wish, the restrictions have only been imposed on the calling part.
Pai’s, rather personal, official statement goes as follows;
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. 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 Washington D. C. headquartered FCC is an independent wing of the United States government, which administers interstate communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in the U.S.
It is a well established fact that cell phones in public are extremely annoying. And what makes it even more annoying is when you are trapped in a confined space and have no place to go in order to escape those loud and irritating conversations.
Also, the radio signals emitted through cell phones, walkie-talkies, computers and gaming devices often result in electromagnetic interference, interfering with the airplane electronics. This is often advocated as the main reason for banning cell phones on planes.
Though, Pai’s tenure as FCC’s chairman has been full of controversies, this is one decision many others will second. After all, forcing people to endure other people’s loud, inane, personal conversations will only add up to the discomfort of traveling.
