| by Christopher 
      Elliott September 19, 2001 The cellular phone, which played 
      a pivotal role in last week's terrorist attacks, is now at the center of 
      another controversy. Travelers who used to reluctantly respect the 
      airlines' ban on wireless devices now are vowing to defy the rules, and a 
      confrontation appears inevitable. 
 It's easy to see why some passengers aren't turning their wireless devices 
      off in flight. Reports that the hijacking victims used their phones to 
      call family members shortly before their planes crashed are forcing 
      everyone to rethink the limits on cellular calls from planes. On at least 
      one of the doomed flights, travelers reportedly received word of the World 
      Trade Center attacks via mobile phones and then acted to prevent another 
      catastrophe.
 
 Air travelers like Will Hester believe a ban on cell phones is a bad idea 
      in light of the "heroic acts in the face of disaster," and that it ought 
      to be reconsidered. "The growth of technology as it relates to the 
      empowerment of interpersonal communication is, as history will prove, a 
      good thing," he says.
 
 Others are sounding more defiant. "Many of us will show more tolerance to 
      the cell phone from now on, and perhaps for those who carry them, too," 
      predicted The Motley Fool's David Gardner.
 
 "The cell phone, so much a part of American life in recent years, is known 
      as both a nuisance and a necessity, occasionally a lifesaver, more often a 
      health hazard," The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee concluded a somewhat 
      melodramatic editorial. "The pocket-sized gadget took on a new sense of 
      importance Tuesday when the onslaught of terrorism shook America from 
      coast to coast."
 
 The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, a trade group for 
      the wireless industry, wasted little time taking advantage of the cell 
      phone's role in this tragedy. Although it didn't issue any official 
      statements, the organization broadcast a barrage of pro-cell phone stories 
      in its daily news summaries that seemed to suggest a cell phone belongs in 
      the hand of every patriotic American.
 
 But last week's events raised more questions than they've answered. What 
      if wireless devices were allowed? Could one or more of the flights have 
      been saved? Or did the sudden surge in cellular calls disrupt the 
      aircraft's navigational equipment and cause the crashes, notably the one 
      in a remote part of Pennsylvania? We don't know the answers to these 
      questions yet. We may never.
 
 Here is what is known: Neither the federal government nor the airlines are 
      currently considering a modification of their rules. Phoning from a plane 
      is still a no-no unless you're using one of the approved seatback 
      handsets. We know that flight attendants are trying to be more vigilant 
      than ever about security-there have been reports of some crewmembers 
      refusing to fly because of worries about safety-so cellular scofflaws 
      could face severe punishment if they're caught.
 
 We also know that wireless communications networks weren't designed for 
      ground-to-air communication. Cellular experts privately admit that they're 
      surprised the calls were able to be placed from the hijacked planes, and 
      that they lasted as long as they did. They speculate that the only reason 
      that the calls went through in the first place is that the aircraft were 
      flying so close to the ground.
 
 Travelers are trying to find a middle ground between satisfying the 
      Federal Aviation Administration's desire to keep mobile phones from 
      interfering with an aircraft's navigation systems and keeping in touch 
      with family, just in case there's an emergency. One solution: leave the 
      cell phone on but don't use it. Set the ringer to vibrate so the crew 
      won't be tipped off to an incoming call.
 
 That may seem reasonable. But it isn't.
 
 Digital phones send out what's known as a registration signal when they're 
      powered on. That signal, which tells the tower that your phone is 
      available to receive calls, occupies the same frequency as it would if you 
      were talking on it. The only difference is that the signal is slightly 
      stronger when you're talking. That's why your phone's battery wears down 
      faster when you're using it. Analog phones use a different frequency for 
      calls than registration. However, that doesn't make them any safer than 
      their digital counterparts, experts say.
 
 All of which is a roundabout way of saying that, despite the salty 
      rhetoric and the defiance of some airline passengers of the rule of law, 
      you're still better off keeping your cell phone powered off during a 
      commercial flight.
 
 You could be headed for a confrontation that you're unlikely to win.
 
 Christopher Elliott is a travel 
      commentator based in Key Largo, Fla. All e-mailed questions may be edited, 
      condensed or republished at the site's discretion.
      The Travel 
      Technologist appears weekly on this site.
 
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