In-Flight Wireless Departing on Schedule
Finally, the future of air travel is in sight — Mobility Today notes that the FCC has set May 10 as the auction date of the spectrum required for domestic in-flight wireless Internet access — that's not to be confused, though, with Boeing's international-only Connexion service, which is satellite-based.
This has been a long time coming, mostly due to concerns that passenger use of wireless might interfere with airplane systems. And those concerns do persist — RCRNews.com notes that the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA still wants a ban on cell phones in flight, citing safety concerns.
That's not keeping Verizon from chomping at the bit, though: the Mobility Today article quotes Verizon Airfone President Bill Pallone as announcing oh-so-humbly, "We're certainly planning on being successful at the auction."
Makes the prospect of a cross-country flight seem a lot more attractive to me — but let's please make sure the flight attendants feel safe first…