From Aljazeera America:
The next time you book an airline ticket, you may want to pack a set of earplugs in your carry-on.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) met Thursday to begin discussions over whether to allow people to use their cellphones while in flight — something a majority of fliers oppose, according to a recent poll conducted by The Associated Press and research firm GFK.
Among the things I learned for the first time from the coverage of this story is that the cell phone ban on planes is a Federal Communications Commission, FCC, rule, imposed decades ago because of concerns that use of the devices on planes would somehow interfere with the cell networks on the ground. Go figure. I always assumed (dangerous word, that) it was a Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, rule imposed because of concerns that use of the devices on planes would interfere with systems on the plane.
Now, the FCC says technological improvements have overtaken the original concerns about network interference and it has become time to repeal a rule which no longer serves any regulatory purpose of concern to the FCC. Cell phone usage on planes pose no direct aviation risks of concern to the FAA, either, but, fortunately, the FAA is also a watchdog for air travel consumers. Consequently, the FAA may step in with its own regulation.
I certainly hope the FAA steps in to prevent in flight use of cell phones. Because the current cell phone in flight ban has been in effect nearly as long as people have been carrying the things, I have no more experience than anyone else in what it might be like if phone use was allowed during flights. But I do ride on a commuter train for two hours a day, where there is no ban on use of cell phones, so I can easily imagine a future without the FCC's rule or a replacement from the FAA.
Occasionally, it's funny, of course. Our train system publishes a newsletter that sometimes prints anecdotes of rider experiences. Here is a noteworthy one that makes me smile:
Fruity debate
On my train in the morning there is an elderly gentleman who gets a morning call from I assume his wife. One morning it was 10 minutes of who ate the last banana. He’s telling her he didn’t eat it and where she might find the banana. It was back and forth – he must have said it 20 times: “I did not eat the last banana.” She never did find the banana that he supposedly didn’t eat.
This one's even better:
I do tattoos
Here’s a highlight from a recent conversation on the UP Northwest that was overheard by almost everyone on the car: “Does the wedding dress cover your tattoos? Do his parents know about all of the tattoos you have?” The loud conversation went on for more than half an hour. After the woman got off the train (while still on the phone), half the car burst out laughing. We all wanted to know what the tattoos looked like!
Sadly, for each amusing incident like those above, one finds oneself sitting through hundreds of the dreariest, dullest, emptiest and stupidest conversations about nothing whatsoever that you could possibly imagine. Some of the worst are the folks who want to discuss their new medical diagnosis often to a ridiculous amount of detail that would cause deathly embarrassment to any creature that was actually self aware. To my sense, the very worst are the occasional attorneys blithely discussing their client's business without any seeming regard for who is listening. I've been a lawyer for 36 years and those punks (yes, they are mostly much younger than me) really give me the red ass.
So, please, FCC, what is one more obsolete rule among friends? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And please, FAA, get ready to step in and protect our shell pink ears from the endless blathering of other passengers. And, please, airlines, if the regulators won't act, please self regulate.
They can let people text, or send emails, or tweet, but please, no talking.