WASHINGTON DC ? Road warriors will be happy to hear that federal regulators have proposed allowing cell phones to be used on airplanes as well as allowing passengers to tap high-speed wireless Internet connections from inside the cabin.
Air travelers will be able to surf the Net while in flight as soon as 2006, and the ban on cell phone use on airplanes could eventually be lifted as well, if moves made Wednesday by the Federal Communications Commission come to fruition, CNET.Com reported.
This good news came to pass Wednesday when the FCC voted unanimously to auction off new spectrum that can be used to provide high-speed wireless Internet access. It also took a strong move toward allowing cell phones to be used on airplanes, calling for public comment on the issue.
Both the FCC and the Federal Aviation Administration ban in-flight cellular calling. The primary FCC concern has been possible disruption of cell phone communication on the ground. The FAA’s worry is how cell phones might interfere with a plane’s navigation and electrical systems.
The FCC proposed allowing passengers to use ?off the shelf? wireless handsets and other devices so long as the device operates at its lowest power setting and does not allow unwanted radio frequency emissions to interfere with cellular networks on the ground. The FCC will now seek public comment on these issues. It will also work with the FAA to ensure that FCC rules and policies
