Cell phones on planes?

[Sassy69]

FCC TO DISCUSS CELLPHONE USE ON FLIGHTS
by Wireless America

US federal regulators are set to begin discussions later this month on allowing the use of cellphones on commercial airline flights, according to published reports.

The FCC said that at its December 15th meeting it will discuss possible revisions to rules prohibiting cellphone use on commercial flights, which would be the first step of the process needed to lift the ban.

Cellphone use has been banned due to concerns about how it could affect an aircraft's navigation. And cellphones sometimes have trouble working when the plane is at cruising altitude because phone towers aren't built to project their signals that high.

The FCC rules have less to do with the effects on a plane's navigation than concerns that cellphones on planes could wreak havoc with cellphone systems on the ground, the reports said.

While the FCC will start considering the issue next week, the agency will have a lengthy review period, and according to one FCC spokesperson, this review period will last well into next year.


DISCUSS:

 

[The Shadow]

it has to do with roaming chagres more than anything

 

[Y_lifter]

FAA and FCC says they gotta have a special transmitter built into the aircraft and then a phone setup to use that transmitter..

As in: Your normal phone to ground tower setup won't be used, but rather a phone to plane to ground setup..

Meaning if you want to use this functionality, the cell carrier would likely charge you more for that service capability.

 

[GoldenDelicious]

i read a report where the nav systems in some plane totally shat themselves because of a mobile phone, making the pilots think the plane was 400m higher than it really was

recipe for disaster, how about just sitting back and being quiet instead

 

[IwouldSlamU]

the whole phone thing taking down a plane is TOTAL BS.

Rember skyphones....? they were cell phones. cell phone's can not or has never caused a plane crash.

 

[The Shadow]

...the cell companies had a lot to do with the no cell policy as it makes tracking roaming charges inpossbile

 

[Y_lifter]

Imagine a phone and system designed to move you from one cell to another as you move about in your car roaming at say 65 MPH. Also managing with your phone only communicating with maybe 4 towers within range.

Now, put that phone at 40,000 Ft moving at 600MPH and then being able to be in range of hundreds of towers at once moving so fast the system can't make a roaming decision fast enough before you are gone..

I think this was the real issue and also the FAA and pilots concerned with actual radiated energy messing with the planes electronics.. Sure, no crashes have been attributed to cell phones but the possibility is real even without proof as testing did show SOME Nav systems were effected.

 

[IwouldSlamU]

...the cell companies had a lot to do with the no cell policy as it makes tracking roaming charges inpossbile

yup