FCC Chair Wants To Nix Cell Phone Calls On Planes

The Federal Communications Commission Chairman said he heard the thousands of comments from air travelers aghast at the commission’s consideration of allowing cell phone calls during commercial air flights, and has terminated the proposal. Ajit Pai asked his fellow commissioners to join him in terminating the proceeding, which began in 2013. “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 cell phone calls on planes,” Pai told Bloomberg News. “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.” 2013 was the year the Federal Aviation Administration lifted restrictions on the use of electronic devices if carriers could not show they would interfere with a plane’s navigation equipment. “Allowing in-flight cell phone calls was such a bad idea that it brought virtually everyone in the aviation community – passengers, policymakers, and flight crew, first and foremost – together in opposition,” the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said in a statement.