FCC Proposes Lifting Inflight Cellphone Ban

Stephen Pope

Monday, November 25, 2013 at 10:02 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The FCC is considering a proposal to allow cellphone use for calls and data on airline flights above 10,000 feet.
This change could create a new revenue stream for airlines, who would install cellular base stations and control service access, but it raises concerns about passenger discomfort from in-flight conversations.
The proposal follows the FAA's recent decision to allow other electronic devices to be used throughout flights and reignites a debate from 2004 when the FCC previously considered, then dropped, a similar change.

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The Federal Communications Commission is considering allowing cellphone use on airline flights above 10,000 feet, a change that could provide a healthy cash windfall for carriers while risking upsetting passengers who have to endure chatty seatmates.

The agency, which prohibits cellphone use for making phone calls or accessing data in flight, is circulating proposed rulemaking allowing airlines and business aircraft operators to install cellular base stations that would transmit data and voice from airplanes to cellular networks on the ground. Airlines could control when voice and data services are available and charge extra for access.