U.S. To Make In-Flight Cell Calls Illegal?

By Digital Trends Staff August 3, 2008

U.S. To Make In-Flight Cell Calls Illegal?

Two members of the House of Representatives have co-sponsored a bill that would make it illegal for you to place calls from your cell phone during a flight, according to Vnunet. The Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace Act (HANG UP Act) would mean airlines couldn’t legally offer calls on flights. That will irk airlines, who’ve been rubbing their hands at the charges they could make for the calls.

Of course, as things stand right now you can’t use your cell in the air anyway. But, said co-sponsor Representative Peter DeFazio, with Internet access just around the corner on U.S. flights, it won’t be long before the ban on voice communications on in-flight planes is lifted. Our bill, the HANG UP Act, would ensure that financially strapped airlines don’t drive us towards this noisome disruption in search of further revenue."

And the bill’s other sponsor, Representative John Duncan, agreed.

"Cell phone users should not be able to disrupt the comfort of an entire airplane cabin, especially when other passengers have no choice but to sit there and listen," he said.

"This bill will ensure a relative amount of peace for the American public as they take to an increasingly crowded sky."

The bill would allow the continued use of skyphones, as well as e-mail and text messaging.

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