A federal advisory panel will be meeting this week to determine the recommendations for the use of personal electronic devices on airplanes during take-off and landing, according to USA Today.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) committee, which has been holding meetings about this topic since January, will be gathering privately on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss whether or not to ease restrictions on personal electronic devices during those parts of a flight, according to a spokesperson for the FAA.
The panel, which consists of both industry and labor representatives, had previously been scheduled to make their recommendations on the matter in July, but the deadline was extended to September by the FAA.
"The FAA recognizes consumers are intensely interested in the use of personal electronics aboard aircraft," the FAA said in a written statement. "That is why we tasked a government-industry group to examine the safety issues and the feasibility of changing the current restrictions.
"The group is meeting again this week and is expected to complete a report to the FAA by the end of the month," the statement continued. "We will wait for the group to finish its work before we determine next steps."
The restrictions on electronics were set decades ago by the FAA, before the advent of smartphones and computer tablets. The restrictions were put in place due to concerns that the devices might interfere with the communications systems on the plane.
However, there is no definitive proof that the use of electronics would interfere with the plane systems. Currently, the use of electronic devices is allowed once the plane is above 10,000 feet.
The FAA recommendation would not apply to the use of mobile phones on planes, which is prohibited by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), another government agency.
There is currently no discussion about changing that rule.
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