A proposal to relax the ban on in-flight phone calls has been dropped by the Federal Communications Commission, which since 2013 had been mulling over the idea of allowing more cell-phone chatter on planes.
In a statement, FCC chairman Ajit Pai called the abandoned plan—introduced by a previous occupant of his job—"ill-conceived" and said that "taking it off the table permanently will be a victory for Americans across the country who, like me, value a moment of quiet at 30,000 feet."
Still, the FCC's ban doesn't apply to Wi-Fi and other frequencies on which phone calls can now be made. A separate proposal from the Department of Transportation would require airlines and ticket agents to let passengers know at the start of the sales process if in-flight phone calls are allowed.
That rule is still under consideration.
