Written by By Max Heath, CNN
Beware, cell phone banters: the annual FCC Net neutrality report has confirmed what we long suspected — the use of mobile devices on aircraft will become a thing of the past.
That’s because the group of experts advising the government have finally decided to let you make calls.
Though this will come as a huge disappointment to passengers (and their loved ones on the ground) who would love nothing more than to be notified that James Bond is boarding the plane, the noise was inevitable.
Since October 2015, the FCC has been debating the use of mobile devices on planes, and the results were a hit or miss depending on who you talk to.
In October 2015, the agency pushed the date by which mobile devices must be switched off and disabled when flying when “to be determined.”
That time has come. On Thursday, the FCC announced it will introduce a rule that mobile devices will be allowed to continue to work as long as they don’t emit any radio waves.
Because so few people use mobile phones, it’s believed it’s unlikely that giving them a greater range of functions will lead to a rise in the use of mobile devices. In addition, the FCC has stressed that mobile devices can’t access the Internet by accessing a different part of the spectrum.
The new rules will go into effect after two years. So after that period, all that’s left to be decided is whether passengers will be able to send messages or use a telephone that the plane’s WiFi is on.