Ten months ago, the Federal Aviation Administration formed a government-industry group to examine the current policies and procedures of portable electronic device use on commercial airlines.
The FAA announced it would present its findings and final conclusion at the end of September — two months later than originally planned.
Currently, the FAA prohibits portable electronic device use on commercial airlines until about 10,000 feet, and even then, the usage is limited due to the no-tolerance policy of Internet usage and phone calls. Doing either of these things while in the air could result in interfering with transmission signals between the aircraft and ground networks.
The FAA’s number one priority while testing various personal electronic devices and their degrees of interference with ground networks is safety, according to an update released by the FAA on June 21.
While testing will continue in the next couple of months, the FAA stated its support in the development of PED-tolerant aircraft designs and has published criteria for manufacturers to start designing.
The FAA is aware that a relaxed policy of the use of PEDs during flights is in passengers’ best interest. The Senate Subcommittee of Consumer Protection, which has jurisdiction over aviation and communications policy, was responsive when the FAA went public with its opinion.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. and chairwoman of the Senate Subcommittee of Consumer Protection, voiced support of the FAA relaxing its PED policies.
“It’s good to see the FAA may be on the verge of acknowledging what the traveling public has suspected for years — that current rules are arbitrary and lack real justification,” McCaskill said in a news release. “In the meantime, I’ll continue my effort to have regulations rigorously examined until scientific evidence has been presented to justify them, or the rules are altered.”
While the FAA considers which parts of the policy should change, it has been made clear the use of cell phones to make calls will continue to be prohibited, as it poses the greatest safety concern, according to the news release.
