Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Sat, 18 May 91 11:10:33 EDT From: olsen@xn.ll.mit.edu Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Cellular Phone Use in Aircraft Message-ID: Organization: TELECOM Digest Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 367, Message 4 of 8 Lines: 26 lemson@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (David Lemson) writes: > Would someone who actually *knows* please check whether or not there > is an FCC regulation against cellular use in airplanes? OK. The FCC frequency allocations table (47 CFR 2.106) allocates the cellular phone frequencies to Land Mobile use. Airborne cellular use (i.e., Aeronautical Mobile) is therefore unauthorized transmission, and is subject to prosecution under the Communications Act of 1934. Note that this argument does not apply to cellular use while on the ground. However, an FAA regulation (14 CFR 91.21) prohibits the use of almost all electronic devices on airliners without the airline's permission, and this applies on the ground as well as in the air. Many airlines have given blanket permission for the use of tape players, portable computers, and similar items, but not for any radio equipment (receiving or transmitting). It is unclear to me whether the pilot has the authority to give this permission on the airline's behalf, but if the pilot says it's OK, no one is likely to bother you about it. The purpose of the FAA regulation is to avoid interference with the aircraft electronics. On the ground this may not be a problem, but airborne, and especially while on approach to landing, it is a risk to be avoided.