This week, before the US government shut down, an FAA advisory committee recommended that airline passengers should be allowed to use smartphones, tablets and e-readers during takeoffs and landings. Wi-Fi has now been added to that list. Praise be!
The Wall Street Journal reports that the 28-member committee has come to the conclusion that Wi-Fi use is essentially safe on flights. That is, apparently, regardless of the altitude of the aeroplane, or what applications are running on the devices using the network.
The report issued by the committee suggests that airlines should, however, test existing Wi-Fi solutions. Umm, duh. Cellular connections, for what it’s worth, remain completely out of bounds.
Of course, once the recommendations are fully passed on, it’s not clear exactly what the Administration will do with them. With any luck, many of them will take effect, and soon.