Technology vs. social uses

“I do not want the person in the seat next to me yapping at 35,000 feet any more than anyone else. But we are not the Federal Courtesy Commission… Technology has produced a new network reality recognized by governments and airlines around the world. Our responsibility is to recognize that new reality’s impact on our old rules.”

The words are Tom Wheeler’s, the chairman of the FCC, in response to protests about the complaints anticipated once airline passengers are allowed to use their telephones aboard aircraft in flight. Basically, stating clearly that FCC stands for Federal Communications Commission, and not Federal Courtesy Commission.

Technology is one thing, and the changes to the way we behave in response to that technology is quite another. The FCC has established that using phones and other electronic devices while an aircraft is in flight do not in any way interfere with the plane’s electronics, and says that banning their use has no scientific basis. In short, there is no technological reason why we should not use them while flying. Manners, or bad manners, do not fall under the FCC’s remit.

A passenger who uses their phone aboard a plane, or in a bar, or in a doctor’s waiting room, or wherever to the annoyance of those around him or her is a matter of courtesy and manners. I am sure that we have all found ourselves in situations where somebody else is talking loudly on their phone in a public place to the annoyance of everybody else. It already happens on planes, when passengers use the onboard phone, at a cost of five euros a minute, not less.

In such a situation, the only solution is to appeal to common sense, pointing out politely to the person using their phone that they are talking loudly, or to ask the flight attendant or whoever to ask the person to lower their voice, or go somewhere else to talk. What’s more, said personnel should be disposed at all times to carry out that task, bearing in mind their job is to attend to the interests of the majority. But it is not the job of the FCC, and neither should the FCC fall back on old wives’ tales to prevent the use of electronic devices aboard planes.

On the one hand, our smartphones are getting smarter by the day, and are able to carry out any number of tasks other than telephonic communication; in fact for more and more of us talking on our smartphones is less and less important. Using a smartphone in this way need not be annoying to others.

On the other hand, we are talking about rules, uses, and customs that change over time: not overnight, but seemingly in the wrong direction, and one that needs to be periodically corrected in the best interests of all.

I have my doubts whether the best way to meet the interests of all is through the law. More to the point, I would like to think that our politicians have more important things to do. Rather than worrying about the annoyance that people talking on phones in public cause, I would strongly prefer they were concerned that only the person on the other side of the line and the poor devils close to the person making the call could get the content of the conversation. That, I feel, is much more important.

(En español, aquí)