FAA Panel Endorses Wi-Fi as Safe

A Federal Aviation Administration advisory committee has concluded passengers can safely use hand-held electronic devices, including those connected to onboard Wi-Fi systems, during all portions of flights on nearly all US airliners, according to one of the group's leaders. The committee's report and its more than two dozen recommendations, which haven't yet been released by the FAA, go further than industry officials previously suggested in recommending lifting current restrictions on such devices under 10,000 feet.

The panel determined that no matter what applications the devices are running or what wireless-transmission mode they are in, "the vast majority" of aircraft "are going to be just fine" from a safety standpoint, according to a senior Amazon official who headed the group's technical subcommittee. Nearly all airline fleets "already have been so dramatically improved and aircraft are so resilient" to electronic interference, according to Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president of global public policy, that the committee concluded they would be safe for "gate to gate use" of such devices. Only normal, ground-based cellular connections—whether used for voice or data—should remain off-limits, according to the committee's recommendations. That isn't due to safety concerns, but because of long-standing Federal Communications Commission rules prohibiting airborne cellular service. Those rules, in turn, stem from concerns about interfering with communications systems on the ground. Misener said the committee urged the FAA to work with the FCC to reassess those restrictions.