A bipartisan group of lawmakers warned several government agencies...

A bipartisan group of lawmakers warned several government agencies against allowing in-flight cellphone conversation, earning praise from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA). The 77 House members sent a letter to the heads of the FCC as well as to the departments of Homeland Security and Transportation and Attorney General Eric Holder. Reps. David McKinley, R-W.Va., and Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill., led the Monday letter. “We urge you to continue the ban on voice calls on all commercial aircraft, and believe that your agencies must also work collaboratively to address safety and security concerns raised by the potential introduction of other wireless capabilities before they are permitted in-flight,” the lawmakers said (http://bit.ly/1tXz2si). They are “extremely concerned” over the FCC proposal “to allow the use of wireless communication devices on commercial flights that does not fully address these safety and security issues, nor does it seem coordinated with your other agencies,” they said. The FCC has said it is examining this issue from a technical standpoint, and the Department of Transportation has begun examining a potential ban of in-flight cellphone conversation. “For over ten years, AFA has been a leader in pushing for comprehensive and ongoing consideration of the risks associated with new in-flight communications technology,” AFA International President Sara Nelson said in a statement. “As first responders and the last line of defense in our nation’s aviation system, Flight Attendants remain strongly opposed to cell phone use in the aircraft cabin. ... In far too many operational scenarios, mobile broadband use could be far worse than a mere nuisance: It could have catastrophic effects on aviation safety and security.”