WASHINGTON --- Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) doesn't want to hear your cell phone conversation on his next flight.
Shuster, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced Monday that he plans to introduce legislation that would ban in-flight cellular phone calls. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is currently considering whether to allow the use of cell phones on commercial flights
“Let’s face it, airplane cabins are by nature noisy, crowded, and confined,” Shuster said in a statement announcing the bill. “For the most part, passengers are looking for ways to make their flights go by as quickly and quietly as possible."
“For passengers, being able to use their phones and tablets to get online or send text messages is a useful in-flight option. But if passengers are going to be forced to listen to the gossip in the aisle seat, it’s going to make for a very long flight,” he continued. “For those few hours in the air with 150 other people, it’s just common sense that we all keep our personal lives to ourselves and stay off the phone.”
Shuster posted the proposed legislation online, and said he intends to introduce the bill on Monday afternoon.
Most Americans agree with Shuster, according to a recent HuffPost/YouGov poll. Flight attendants are also against phone calls on flights. And, as The Huffington Post reported last month, in-flight calls are probably going to be ridiculously expensive.
There have been several moves in recent months to greenlight the use of electronics in flight. The Federal Aviation Administration dropped its ban on use during take-off and landing at the end of October. The Federal Communications Commission will discuss in-flight phone calls during its Dec. 12 meeting.
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