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   FAA Panel Recommends Easing Restrictions on Electronics in Flight

   Adam C. Engst

   In the ongoing saga of just why it is that Federal Aviation
   Administration regulations require airline passengers to turn off all
   electronic devices until an altitude of 10,000 feet is reached, a
   28-member FAA panel has now recommended that these restrictions be
   eased (for background, see Steve McCabe's '[1]Why Do Airlines Require
   Us to Turn Off Our Gadgets?,' 5 October 2012).

   In short, the report recommends that electronic devices such as mobile
   phones, tablets, and ebook readers be allowed at all times, but that
   any devices with communication features be placed into 'airplane mode'
   until that 10,000-foot altitude is reached.

   The main concern is enforcement ' it's hard enough for flight
   attendants to ensure that devices are powered down, but making certain
   they're in airplane mode would likely be even harder. Nonetheless, the
   recommendation seems like an entirely reasonable compromise between
   safety concerns and passenger desires.

   If the FAA adopts the panel's suggestions, it would thus be acceptable
   to read a book or play a game on your iPad or iPhone while waiting on
   the runway for takeoff, as long as the device is in airplane mode.
   Checking email or browsing the Web on the runway would not be kosher,
   due to the need for cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity, but would be
   allowed via on-board Wi-Fi, when present, after reaching 10,000 feet.

   The next step is up to the FAA, which has received the report and will
   review it before deciding on any rule changes.

   The ban on mobile phone use at any time during flight remains, in part
   because it's unrelated to the issue of electronics use during flight.
   The latter is about avionics safety, whereas telecommunications
   regulators prohibit mobile phone use because the cellular signals could
   cause network confusion by lighting up multiple cell towers on the
   ground ' for more on this, read Rich Mogull's '[2]Peering Inside a
   Mobile Phone Network' (6 October 2008).

References

   1. http://tidbits.com/article/13256
   2. http://tidbits.com/article/9796

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