Seven years ago, a TV show examined whether signals from cell phones actually interfered with critical equipment on airplanes. They found that there was no truth to the belief that a cell phone signal could cause an airplane to crash. You may have heard of that show. It’s called Mythbusters.

Fast forward to this week when an FAA advisory panel finally saw this episode of Mythbusters and recommended that restrictions on the use of personal electronic devices should be reduced. It’s not a total victory but it’s a start.

The advisory panel recommended that passengers should be allowed to use hand-held electronic devices at any point in time, provided that they do not transmit data via cell signals. This means that devices that would otherwise be restricted from use until a plane’s wi-fi system is activated would be allowed to be used during take-off and landing.

Unfortunately, the panel isn’t listening to the Mythbusters’ experiment. The panel still believes that transmitting cell signals from smartphones and tablets will disrupt on-board systems. As such, phone calls and text messages are still prohibited. The FAA and airlines have been unable to come up with any conclusive evidence that electronic devices have interfered with flight instruments but they are unwilling to completely revoke the ban on electronic devices and mobile phones.

Interestingly, according to the New York Times and Discovery’s Mythbusters database, the FCC also has a ban in place prohibiting the use of cell phones in flight. The FCC’s reasoning is that cell signals from flight altitudes hit multiple cell towers which clogs the networks.

Like I said, it’s not a complete victory but the partial lifting of restrictions is a step in the right direction. As long as the myth about cell phone calls causing massive interference remains, I doubt we’ll be allowed to use our phones as phones in-flight.

Sources: New York Times, Discovery