Wireless on Planes
FCC has approved high speed internet access on commercial airplanes by 2006. Cool, but I doubt it will be free. I remember when air phones first came out. Making a call at 32,000 feet was about $2 per minute. I don’t know what the rates are now.
Starbucks currently charges $6 per hour for online fees (the “pay as you go” plan with no long-term contract), otherwise it’s $30 per month if you sign up for 12 months. Airlines will likely charge passengers at least the same rate or perhaps even more.
The bigger story is that cell phone use may be permitted in airplanes as early as 2006. That’s a big deal and an odd one as well. The FAA always told passengers that cell phones interfered with the airplane’s electronics. I wonder what’s changed or they just misled the public all this time.
If Congress passes cell phone usage on airplanes, then we will all have the opportunity to eavesdrop on one another’s conversation. We can listen to a businessman talk for hours or listen to how grandma broke her hip. Great! Don’t forget to bring your earplugs.
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