U.S. Senator Promising Legislative Action Allowing In-Air Use of Electronic Devices if FAA Doesn't Act
U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) has sent a letter to the head of the Federal Aviation Administration saying the flying public is “growing increasingly skeptical” …
Context & Ripple Effects
This is the third move in a fast-building pressure campaign. On December 6 the FCC publicly urged the FAA to allow 'greater use' of electronic devices during flights (FCC to FAA), and on December 12 McCaskill first threatened legislation; the letter reported here makes that threat formal, telling the FAA head the flying public is 'growing increasingly skeptical' of the restrictions.
The political force of the letter comes from an inconsistency the FAA itself created: since early 2011 it has approved iPads for pilots as replacements for paper flight charts, culminating in American Airlines pilots getting approval for iPad use in all phases of flight that December. If the devices are trusted in the cockpit, McCaskill's argument runs, the cabin ban is hard to defend.
First-order effects
- The FAA is now facing simultaneous written pressure from two federal agencies — the FCC's December 6 letter and McCaskill's — putting its device-use review on a legislative clock rather than its own.
- Airlines are the immediate implementers either way: any relaxation falls on them to re-test fleets and rewrite cabin crew policy, so carriers have a direct stake in whether the FAA acts before Congress does.
Second-order effects
- If the FAA stalls, McCaskill's promised legislation would strip the agency of discretion over the issue, a precedent other senators could apply to aviation rules they consider outdated.
- Device makers gain a regulatory tailwind: a cabin-use green light turns every smartphone and tablet into an in-flight product, and airlines' Wi-Fi and entertainment offerings would compete directly with passengers' own devices.
Third-order effects
- The episode marks a shift in how consumer electronics rules get made in aviation — from agency-led technical review toward congressional deadlines set by public frustration, a pattern visible in later fights over drones and in-flight calls.
- If the cockpit-versus-cabin double standard keeps eroding, the default assumption flips from 'devices off unless proven safe' to 'devices on unless shown to interfere,' forcing regulators to justify restrictions rather than passengers to seek exceptions.
The trend: Aviation electronics regulation is moving from cautious agency gatekeeping toward legislatively forced liberalization, driven by the spread of personal tablets and smartphones.