Cell Phone Ban: Technical Safeguard or Social Buffer?
April 4th, 2007
In good news for thousands of weary travelers, the Federal Communications Commission decided today that the long-running ban on using cell phones on airplanes will continue indefinitely. Rather than investigate the science for itself, the FCC – which, by the way, won’t let me be – will wait until there is “appropriate technical data” on whether the fast-moving phones could overload land-based antennas.
Not surprisingly, the prospect of being stuck in a metal tube with dozens of chatting passengers has energized the public to comment voraciously, firing the most vicious comments imaginable. Some predict, maybe rightly so, that cell phones could lead to full-scale riots aboard airliners, or worse.
Despite the scientific reasoning for the FCC’s report, the commission is clearly using the lack of technical information as a way to justify the social mandate given them by the public comments. I don’t want cell phones on airplanes – certainly not after my last twelve hour flight – but if the FCC wants to keep phones off because passengers would eventually stab each other with plastic sporks, just tell me that. If there really isn’t enough technical information, then do the research. But to split the difference is being unnecessarily obscure.
Link to FCC
Link to CNN
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