Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation will consider whether to ban in-flight calls aboard airliners, the agency’s leader said today.
The DOT, which oversees consumer protection of airline passengers, will seek public comment on whether allowing such calls “is fair to consumers,” Secretary Anthony Foxx said in an e-mailed statement.
The action comes as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission today considers eliminating its ban on in-flight phone calling that has been in place since the 1990s.
“Over the past few weeks, we have heard of concerns raised by airlines, travelers, flight attendants, members of Congress and others who are all troubled over the idea of passengers talking on cell phones in flight –- and I am concerned about this possibility as well,” Foxx said.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told lawmakers today that ending restrictions on cellular calls by airline passengers “is the responsible thing to do.”
Concerns that phone calls would interfere with ground-based cellular networks have been obviated by technological advances, Wheeler said at a House hearing ahead of today’s FCC vote.
“When the rationale for the rule doesn’t exist, the rule shouldn’t exist,” Wheeler said.
Lawmakers and many frequent fliers have criticized Wheeler’s proposal, saying passengers won’t want to be confined in an airplane cabin with blabbering seatmates. A vote today by the five-member FCC would set up a comment period, and final approval would need a second vote by the communications agency.
Legislation Introduced
Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, today introduced legislation to prohibit mobile phone conversations on commercial airline flights. He was joined by Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat.
“Keeping phone conversations private on commercial flights may not be enshrined in the constitution, but it is certainly enshrined in common sense,” Alexander said in an e-mailed news release.
The bill would allow the use of Internet-connected personal electronic devices such as Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindles and iPads from Apple Inc. during flight, which the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration recently approved.
Representative Bill Shuster, the Pennsylvania Republican who is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced a similar bill on Dec. 9.
‘Free Market’
Airlines would need special equipment to handle voice calls and could choose to block them, Wheeler said today in an opinion piece published in Gannett Co. Inc.’s USA Today newspaper.
“In a free market such decisions belong in the hands of the airlines and their consumers,” Wheeler said in the article.
“I understand the consternation caused by the thought of your onboard seatmate disturbing the flight making phone calls,” Wheeler said in written testimony submitted for the congressional hearing. “I do not want the person in the seat next to me yapping at 35,000 feet any more than anyone else. But we are not the Federal Courtesy Commission.”
Geneva-based OnAir, which offers a satellite-based service that lets people connect using their smartphones through onboard network, today said it supports the FCC proposal. OnAir clients include British Airways Plc, Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Aeroflot.
No Complaints
“Over four and a half million passengers use OnAir inflight connectivity each year and what is very striking is that there has not been one single complaint about disruption caused by phone calls,” Ian Dawkins, chief executive officer of closely held OnAir, said in a news release distributed by PR Newswire.
Ten U.S. representatives in a letter told Wheeler they support his proposal even as they oppose voice calls in airlines, because rules should keep pace with technology. More in-flight connectivity would give U.S. domestic fliers capabilities available elsewhere in the world, the lawmakers said in a Dec. 11 letter to Wheeler that the FCC distributed by e-mail today.
The signers included Representative Suzan DelBene, a Washington Democrat, and Representative Doris Matsui, a California Democrat who sits on the House communications panel.
--Editors: Elizabeth Wasserman, Bernard Kohn
To contact the reporters on this story: Todd Shields in Washington at [email protected]; Alan Levin in Washington at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Bernard Kohn at [email protected]
The DOT, which oversees consumer protection of airline passengers, will seek public comment on whether allowing such calls “is fair to consumers,” Secretary Anthony Foxx said in an e-mailed statement.
The action comes as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission today considers eliminating its ban on in-flight phone calling that has been in place since the 1990s.
“Over the past few weeks, we have heard of concerns raised by airlines, travelers, flight attendants, members of Congress and others who are all troubled over the idea of passengers talking on cell phones in flight –- and I am concerned about this possibility as well,” Foxx said.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told lawmakers today that ending restrictions on cellular calls by airline passengers “is the responsible thing to do.”
Concerns that phone calls would interfere with ground-based cellular networks have been obviated by technological advances, Wheeler said at a House hearing ahead of today’s FCC vote.
“When the rationale for the rule doesn’t exist, the rule shouldn’t exist,” Wheeler said.
Lawmakers and many frequent fliers have criticized Wheeler’s proposal, saying passengers won’t want to be confined in an airplane cabin with blabbering seatmates. A vote today by the five-member FCC would set up a comment period, and final approval would need a second vote by the communications agency.
Legislation Introduced
Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, today introduced legislation to prohibit mobile phone conversations on commercial airline flights. He was joined by Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat.
“Keeping phone conversations private on commercial flights may not be enshrined in the constitution, but it is certainly enshrined in common sense,” Alexander said in an e-mailed news release.
The bill would allow the use of Internet-connected personal electronic devices such as Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindles and iPads from Apple Inc. during flight, which the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration recently approved.
Representative Bill Shuster, the Pennsylvania Republican who is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced a similar bill on Dec. 9.
‘Free Market’
Airlines would need special equipment to handle voice calls and could choose to block them, Wheeler said today in an opinion piece published in Gannett Co. Inc.’s USA Today newspaper.
“In a free market such decisions belong in the hands of the airlines and their consumers,” Wheeler said in the article.
“I understand the consternation caused by the thought of your onboard seatmate disturbing the flight making phone calls,” Wheeler said in written testimony submitted for the congressional hearing. “I do not want the person in the seat next to me yapping at 35,000 feet any more than anyone else. But we are not the Federal Courtesy Commission.”
Geneva-based OnAir, which offers a satellite-based service that lets people connect using their smartphones through onboard network, today said it supports the FCC proposal. OnAir clients include British Airways Plc, Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Aeroflot.
No Complaints
“Over four and a half million passengers use OnAir inflight connectivity each year and what is very striking is that there has not been one single complaint about disruption caused by phone calls,” Ian Dawkins, chief executive officer of closely held OnAir, said in a news release distributed by PR Newswire.
Ten U.S. representatives in a letter told Wheeler they support his proposal even as they oppose voice calls in airlines, because rules should keep pace with technology. More in-flight connectivity would give U.S. domestic fliers capabilities available elsewhere in the world, the lawmakers said in a Dec. 11 letter to Wheeler that the FCC distributed by e-mail today.
The signers included Representative Suzan DelBene, a Washington Democrat, and Representative Doris Matsui, a California Democrat who sits on the House communications panel.
--Editors: Elizabeth Wasserman, Bernard Kohn
To contact the reporters on this story: Todd Shields in Washington at [email protected]; Alan Levin in Washington at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Bernard Kohn at [email protected]