If you do not want cell phone chatting while flying

[jberryhill]

103. Interstate commerce. Next?

While of course I realize you probably do not think there should be an FAA in the first place, the issue here is not about speech or some right to communicate. The question here is whether the FAA should permit the installation of a piece of equipment hitherto not installed on commercial passenger aircraft.

All federal regulations, even in this instance a rule to affirmatively allow something, require a public comment period.

Absent a rule making on this class of equipment to be permitted on commercial passenger aircraft in interstate commerce, then they won't be allowed. The reason for that is that any piece of radio communication equipment to be used on or aboard aircraft needs to be positively allowed by the FAA.

It must really chap your ass that, even if we forget about airplanes, you cannot use a cell phone that does not comply with FCC regulations. There are vast areas of the country without cell phone coverage. If you were allowed to modify and operate your cell phone outside of those FCC regulations, then you could use your cellphone in places where you would otherwise be unable to do so.


So tell me, why do you stand idly by while the FCC controls the range of your cell phone communications ON THE GROUND, but you become a constitutional scholar when the FAA takes the required public comment in its rule making process to ALLOW them in the air?