Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Fri, 17 May 91 20:17:57 EDT From: John Stanley Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Cellular Phone Use in Aircraft Message-ID: Organization: Mad Scientist 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 368, Message 5 of 7 Lines: 79 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? I attempted to mail this to the first questioner, but his return address was mangled. FAA: Use of electronic equipment onboard aircraft is covered by Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 91, Section 91.21. This section prohibits use of any electronic device on board an aircraft, with a VERY short list of exceptions. Para. 91.21(c) specifies who may authorize exceptions and allow other equipment. For holders of an operating certificate (i.e. air carriers) the OPERATOR of the aircraft must make the authorization. This is NOT the pilot. Some have opined that the pilot is the official representative of the operator, but this is contradicted by the next sentence in 91.21(c) which says the pilot or operator may authorize use in other aircraft. If the pilot were authorized to make exceptions to 91.21, there would not be a need to specify 'pilot' as an authorization agent for other aircraft. FCC: The use of land cellular telephones is prohibited by exclusion. Section 2.106 of 47CFR lists frequency allocations by type of service (land mobile, etc.) and 22.902 lists those frequencies allocated to the Domestic Public Cellular Radio Telecommunications Service. The frequencies specified in 22.902 are allocated to land mobile service in 2.106. The FCC issued a Public Notice, clarifying the rules. The text of that notice follows (note that the date is 1984 and some sections of the rules have changed numbers) (also, I have talked to both the people listed as contacts, within the last two months, and the status of the situation is stil the same): PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202/254-7674. Recorded listing of releases and texts 202/632-0002. COMMON CARRIER PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES INFORMATION CELLULAR UNITS NOT AUTHORIZED FOR AIRBORNE USE Report No. CL-142 October 11, 1984 The Mobile Services Division has received several inquiries regarding the use of cellular mobile and portable units in airplanes and helicopters. The public should be aware that such use on cellular units is _not_ permitted inder the Rules. Use of a cellular unit while airborne is likely to cause serious interference both within the cellular system and in other cellular systems, because an airborne unit will have a transmitting range much greater than the land-based unit for which cellular systems are engineered. Under the Commission's rules, airborne mobile units must be individually licensed for air-ground service and may only communicate through base stations licensed for the 450-MHz air-ground service and may only communicate through base stations frequencies listed in Section 22.521. See also Sections 22.9(c), 22.15(i)(3), and 22.509. There are no cellular frequencies available for air-ground service, and persons owning, installing, or operating airborne cellular units will be subject to enforcement action. For further information, Contact Michael Ferrente on 202 653-5560 or Claudia Borthwick on 202 632-6400. - FCC - _SEE_ Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - CC Docket No. 88-411, FCC 88-278, Released September 2, 1988, 3 FCC Rcd 5265 (1988).