The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted to end a ban on in-flight calls, but Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation are considering proposals that could make that irrelevant.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said at the hearing Thursday that airlines would still largely be allowed to make up their own policies regarding how passengers use cellphones during flight.
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"Where there is new onboard technology that eliminates that potential for interference, there is no need for an interference rule," Wheeler said. "We are the expert technical agency, and new technology removes the technical justification of this rule."
Though the FCC found no technical reason mid-air calls shouldn't be allowed, the Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has expressed concern that all the chatter would be unfair to those not having conversations, and Senators Lamar Alexander and Dianne Feinstein introduced a bill on Thursday that would ban them, following a similar bill in the House.
What might happen, according to The Washington Post, is a combination of the FCC ruling and the Department of Transportation bill, where cellphones are allowed on planes, but only for texting, email and surfing the web.
Regardless of what rules come into effect, nothing is likely to happen before the holiday season. Around 44 million people are expected to take to the skies from Dec. 16, 2013 through Jan. 5, 2014, a 2% increase over last holiday season, according to the airline trade organization Airlines For America.
Airlines are adding seats to planes that the organization predicts will be around 80 to 90% full. The busiest days of the season include three Fridays — Dec. 20 and 27 as well as Jan. 3 — and Dec. 26. Airlines for America expects Christmas Eve, Christmas day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day to be the lightest travel days.
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