Arlington, VA – 08/29/2012 –
The following statement is attributable to Doug Johnson, vice president, technology policy, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, following this week’s announcements by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA):
“We applaud the FAA’s announcement regarding the formation of a government-industry group to study the current policies and procedures aircraft operators use to determine when portable electronic devices (PEDs) can be used safely during flight. E-readers, smartphones and tablets, for example, are commonplace devices for entertainment and business needs during air travel. We look forward to commenting on and contributing to the FAA’s initiatives focusing on the in-flight use of PEDs and related policies.”
CEA’s history regarding the use of PEDs on board aircrafts goes back several years and includes earlier work on a recommended practice in 2004, and a bulletin in 2007. In addition, CEA participated in the RTCA’s Special Committee 202 (SC-202), which produced the 2008 guidance document for aircraft operators and manufacturers. The RTCA functions as a Federal Advisory Committee to the FAA. In-flight use of PEDs will be the focus of a conference session at the 2013 International CES®.