FAA STUDYING RELAXATION OF POLICIES ON PERSONAL ELECTRONICS

Continental said its new policy allowed cellphone use after landing when flight attendant permitted it. Airline previously restricted wireless phone use until aircraft door opened at arrival gate. Continental has retained its policy on phone use at departure, which requires that passenger stop using phone when cabin door is closed. American said last month it would allow passengers on most arriving flights to use cellphones while plane was taxiing to gate. “Many of our customers will find it beneficial to take advantage of a few extra minutes of talk time as their aircraft taxis from the runway to the gate,” Continental spokesman said.

FAA spokesman said advisory group studies, including short- term assessment due in Nov., were examining technology that had burgeoned since agency’s advisory on personal electronic devices was issued in 1997. Saying technology such as wireless PDAs had grown significantly since then, he said: “It’s almost like a comparison between human years and dog years.” Long-term study will cover emerging areas such as ultra-wideband.

RTCA, formerly Radio & Technical Commission for Aeronautics, has created special committee at FAA’s request to examine personal electronic devices. It said first of 2 phases would focus on current technologies. Group will identify existing standards for intentional and spurious radiofrequency emissions for those devices, including “key modulation characteristics of intentional RF transmitters.” Study will determine actual RF emissions from portable devices, particularly those within or near aircraft radio receiver bands. Goal is to “assess the risk associated with portable electronic devices to safe operation of aircraft,” RTCA said. Study will recommend guidance for acceptable use of personal electronic devices on aircraft, including guidance for intentional RF transmitters such as cellphones.

Second phase, with Oct. 2005 completion date, will focus on emerging technologies such as ultra-wideband (UWB) and pico-cells for cellphone use on planes. Besides examining same RF emissions areas as first part of research, 2nd phase will “define and recommend specific guidance for aircraft design and certification that can mitigate the risks identified for portable electronic devices, if determined practical by the special committee,” RTCA said in terms of reference for study released earlier this year. It said technology assessment also would “develop, with support of the FCC, recommended RF emission limit changes for consumer portable electronic devices.” In last year, aviation officials and regulators have raised concerns that FCC rules allowing UWB devices to go forward could hamper key avionics systems before potential interference risks were evaluated fully. FAA begin testing UWB’s potential to interfere with safety-of-life and other systems last year. Pico-cells are used by systems such as AirCell, which has FCC waiver to operate cellular equipment to provide service to airborne callers without causing interference to onboard aircraft systems.

Meanwhile, customers on most arriving American Airlines flights will be able to use cellphones “shortly after landing, while the aircraft is taxiing to the gate,” airline said. Changes also allow use of personal electronic devices to continue until plane door is shut, giving passengers about extra 10 minutes, spokeswoman said. On arrival, travelers had to wait to turn on those device until plane arrived at gate and seatbelt sign was turned off. Under new policy, when plane touches down and flight attendant gives go-ahead, cellphone use can begin. Before change, airline conducted tests with equipment manufacturers and suppliers, giving results to FAA to review, spokeswoman said. FAA ultimately approved American Airlines’ changes, she said. Airline said FCC had regulatory purview over devices themselves and barred their use during flight.

FAA officials said last fall they expected RTCA to move ahead with special committee to examine potential impact of personal electronic devices on aircraft. U.S. airlines and technology developers such as Intel have backed creation of such panel. Study comes as airline officials and wireless developers are trying to balance consumers’ interest in using new electronic devices on aircraft with protecting avionics systems from interference. “The airlines are still adhering to the guidance that we gave them in a 1997 advisory circular,” FAA spokesman said. That advisory bars operation of personal electronic devices on aircraft unless plane’s operator has determined they won’t cause interference. “They are also trying to accommodate the increasing demand from their customers that they be able to use these devices.” He said any recommendations to emerge from RTCA research would be used by FAA in assessing whether rulemaking was needed to update that circular.

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AirCell said Tues. U.S. Patent Office had approved patent on its technology to allow passengers to use cellphones while in flight. “This marks an important milestone for the company,” AirCell said: “However, rigorous testing will be required to satisfy the concerns relating to noninterference with terrestrial cellphone systems and the aircraft’s communication and navigation systems.” AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless repeatedly have raised concerns at FCC about AirCell’s plans, including objections in April to its petition to renew its waiver of the Commission’s airborne cellular rule. AirCell said it planned to install and demonstrate new system aboard a plane early next year and have it certified aboard a commercial air transport aircraft by mid-2004. It said discussions were under way “with several key airlines” to finalize plans for a trial program. AirCell said it already had several patents that collectively allowed it to re-use cellular spectrum in an airborne application. In Feb., the FCC upheld its Wireless Bureau order granting AirCell waivers to operate cellular equipment to provide service to airborne callers without causing interference to onboard aircraft systems.