A new report claims that the Department of Transportation (DOT) is looking to propose new rules this December that would prevent people from making in-flight cellphone calls.
The plans were mentioned by people who attended the agency's general counsel, in which Kathryn Thomson gave a speech last week at the International Aviation Club in Washington, where she announced the move, according to the Wall Street Journal. One spokeswoman confirmed that the DOT is working on "a notice of proposed ruling" for publication, and another spokeswoman said, "At this point, there is no final determination," as to what the notice or the final rule will say.
While the fate of in-flight cellphone calls is currently being decided by the U.S. government, airlines want the decision to be up to them, and believe the DOT should let carriers decide whether to offer cellphone service so they could differentiate themselves.
"Airlines aren't clamoring to allow mobile-phone use during flights, and some have already said they'd prohibit it on their own flights," said Jeffrey Shane, general counsel for the International Air Transport Association. Shane added, however, that some carriers should look into in-flight phone booths, quiet zones, and other passenger-friendly ways to allow calls, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The DOT said, in the past, that it would look to ban in-flight calls under sections of transportation law that would let it make sure airlines provide "safe and adequate" service, as well as prevent fliers from going through "unfair and deceptive practices" by airlines.
The move by the DOT is taking place while the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is working on allowing fliers to use their phones on planes more, Business Standard reported. The DOT did not mention any plans to ban texting or other uses of data on aircrafts, which would give passengers more options for using their phones.
Current rules state that mobile phones have to be switched off when the plan prepares for take-off, so that they don't interfere with ground networks. However, the FCC doesn't see in-flight interference as a problem anymore.
The past year has seen several changes made to in-flight rules, regarding the use of mobile devices on flights, including the FCC announcing last October that passengers were allowed to leave their devices on throughout the whole flight, if they kept them in air mode, CNET reported. The agency also voted last December to approve a measure for a proposal for lifting the technical ban on in-flight phone use, in which the public would be allowed to comment on it.
However, the new report says that if the DOT decides to enforce a ban on in-flight calls, it could override any rule change made by the FCC.
