Unanimous FCC Vote: WiFi allowed on planes

[Archived in Entry]

[Face-to-Face] The FCC has unanimously voted to allow wireless internet connections on airplanes. If everything goes according to plans, airplanes might be offering passengers internet service by as soon as 2006.

Some slightly related from Technorati and Google.

[The Alpha Liberal] News and Articles 4-6-05: In his first public remarks since taking charge of the Federal Communications Commission, Chairman Kevin J. Martin on Tuesday urged cable operators to rein in racy shows before Congress clamped down.Martin, named FCC chairman two weeks ago, told a crowd at the National Cable & Telecommunications Assn. convention here that his agency did not have the authority it exercised over conventional broadcasting to regulate the programming that streams over cable lines.But, he warned, that could change if Congress decides to give the FCC power to police content on cable and satellite

[Respectful Insolence (a.k.a. "Orac Knows")] The Galileo Gambit: It may be messy, and it may take longer, occasionally even decades or even longer, than we in the business might like to admit, but eventually in science the truth wins out. In fact, the best way for a scientist to become famous and successful in his or her field is to come up with evidence that strongly challenges established theories and concepts and then weave that evidence into a new theory. Albert Einstein didn't end up in the history books by simply reconfirming and recapitulating Newton's Laws. Semmelweis and Pasteur didn't wind up in the history books by confirming the concept that disease was caused by an "imbalance of humours" (although Semmelweis probably did hurt himself by refusing to publish his results for many years; his data was so compelling it remains puzzling why he did not do so).

[Javier's SBS Wonderland] How to add a Mac OS X to an SBS domain: in front of your PC at home” scams on the internet might be true after all. Anyway, going back... is. Having internet access on my phone (and whenever I go) is waaay cool. With OMA, Mapquest, Accuweather... hand, this phone will keep your Laptop or PDA connected to the internet whenever you go via Bluetooth

[Tyler Hamilton] Surfing the Net in the sky?: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved the idea of giving people high-speed Internet access in airplanes. This clears the way for service introduction sometime in 2006. The Federal Aviation Authority and FCC are also encouraging public discussion of the use of cell phones in airplanes, though that wouldn't likely happen for three or four years if given the green light.

[The VoIP Weblog - voip.weblogsinc.com _] Decision on In-Flight Cellphone Ban not until 2006: The ruling continues a debate on who should provide that access. Verizon is currently the only U.S. carrier providing in-flight voice with their seat-back Airfones. The article states, “Verizon Airfone maintains that letting one company handle the service would ensure the best quality, and existing technology can’t support two competitors,” while AirCell and Boeing want two competitors.

[terrygold.com] Airline security, in-flight cell phones and knitting needles: I see that Lufthansa is now offering wireless internet access on their flights out of Denver. Has anyone tried using a VoIP SIP phone on their laptop to make what would probably be a legal call from the air? By the way, I'm not in favor of allowing people to use cell phones in flight. Travel is tough enough without having to sit in the middle seat listening to somebody yak about whatever it is people find SO IMPORTANT that they just can't possibly wait until they have some privacy.

Politics | News.blog | CNET News.com: Gore, as survivors of the 2000 presidential election may recall, spent much of that campaign weathering ridicule over a supposed claim that he'd "invented" the Internet. (Neither he nor the reporter who first questioned Gore's Internet development resume--now my colleague at CNET News.com, Declan McCullagh--used the term. Gore claimed to have "created" it.)

Politics | News.blog | CNET News.com: The draft bill says, simply, that the FCC will "have authority to adopt regulations governing digital television apparatus necessary to control the indiscriminate redistribution of digital television broadcast content over digital networks." The District of Columbia Circuit nixed the flag on the grounds that the FCC didn't have the authority. This language would clear that up.

Benton Communications-Related Headlines: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations also currently restrict the use of mobile telephones and other portable electronic devices (PEDs) on aircraft to ensure against interference to onboard communications and navigation equipment. The Commission cautioned that any steps it ultimately takes with respect to the use of cellular and other wireless devices aboard aircraft would be subject to the rules and policies of the FAA and aircraft operators. Specifically, the Commission proposed to permit the airborne operation of "off the shelf" wireless handsets and other devices so long as the device operates at its lowest power setting under control of a "pico cell" located on the aircraft, and the operation does not allow unwanted radio frequency emissions to interfere with terrestrial cellular systems. The Commission asked for public comment on whether the proposal should apply only to devices operating in 800 MHz cellular spectrum, or whether devices operating on other spectrum bands, such as the PCS band or Advanced Wireless Services bands, should be included.

Hasty Ruminations: Our Govm’t In Inaction: “The FCC is concerned that cell phone use in an airplane might interfere with cell phone use on the ground. It will start taking public comment on the issue in early 2005, and a decision could be made within a year.” Tell me that FCC dudes who fly on FCC airplanes DON’T use cellphones in the air. This technology has been in the hands of the public for over 25 years, and NOW they think it MIGHT interfere? Oh, and let’s applaud how really, really good cellphone use on the ground is today.

Telecom Law Blog: FCC Order, Rulemaking on Air-Ground Service: In Order and Further NPRM FCC 04-287, the Commission adopted a flexible approach for licensing the 4 MHz of spectrum in the 800 MHz band currently dedicated to commercial air-ground service. The Commission will auction new licenses for the spectrum in three possible band plan configurations and proposed auction rules for this spectrum. The Commission imposed an eligibility limitation to prevent a single entity from holding new licenses for all 4 MHz of air-ground spectrum.

Reflected tags on Technorati: Blog, Hotspots, Wireless, Wireless Networking News

Posted at May 23, 2005 02:48 PM