FCC Indicates It Will Continue Inflight Cell Phone Ban in U.S.

The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission indicted in informal remarks that the FCC will continue to disallow inflight cell phone use on airplanes.

The reason, according to Chairman Kevin J. Martin, is that it's unclear if the ground networks can handle cell phone calls from aircraft because they can contact multiple cell towers simultaneously which can disrupt the overall system.  Mr. Martin said the wireless telecommunications industry indicated in recent comments to the Commission that this inference is a significant problem.

The FCC is responsible for issues concerning ground-based networks, while the FAA regulates the safety of cell phone usage on aircraft.  03-25-2007.

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