Hello? No, I'm on a Plane! Yeah it's crap!

We all know a woman who thinks cell phones come with a sound proof force field that means they can't be heard by anyone else. Or a man who thinks that handsfree is wonderful invention and must always be used so they can read the newspaper while conferenced in on the meeting they don't need to be at.

Well the bad news is that according to Reuters they may soon be coming to an American airplane seat beside you.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday it plans to auction airwaves now used by phones embedded in airplane seats. Those phones, operated by a Verizon Communications unit, are not used regularly because of the high cost.

The financially strapped airline industry could generate a new stream of revenue by partnering with companies wanting to offer high-speed Internet, known as broadband, or a cheaper on-board telephone service.

The silly thing is they are considering keeping the ban on cell phones because of a potential backlash by people pissed off at having to sit for 5 hours beside someone nattering on their cell-phone.

The FCC is also weighing whether to allow consumers to use their own cell phones on planes, but that would need agreement from aviation regulators and the FCC has yet to make a decision amid fears of a backlash from many fliers who see airplanes as a cell phone-free zone.

Instead they will now be able to natter on the planes own phones (once the prices drop) or, worse still, on their Skype head set. Ok broadband would be nice on a long flight, but please, please, please, ban phone calls and enforce it as rigidly as the cell phone ban. Let the rest of us sleep, or read, or watch the movie in peace.

No one, and I mean no one, who hasn't been provided with a government jet and a suitcase full of nuclear launch codes needs to be instantly contactable 100% of the day. Everyone else is only fooling themselves.

[via Gizmodo]