Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Madam Chair, after speaking with the committee, I plan to withdraw my amendment, but I want to take a moment to speak on the underlying issue because I think it is very important.

Madam Chair, my amendment would prohibit the Department from engaging in rulemaking to allow the use of voice communication devices in flight, in other words, cell phones.

When the Federal Communications Commission first floated the idea of allowing cell phone usage on airplanes, the response from the American people was so clear you could hear a pin drop, something that would not be possible if you were surrounded by people chatting on their phones on an airplane. Polling has consistently shown 2-1 opposition to allowing passengers to make voice calls in flight.

In February of this past year, I, along with my colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, voted unanimously to approve H.R. 3676, which was introduced by Chairman Shuster, that has the same goal of the amendment I put forward today.

At a time when we document every moment of our lives over Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, the last thing the traveling public needs is to sit next to someone having a loud, one-sided conversation on a cross-country flight.

Now, this isn't just a matter of comfort and good manners; it is also a matter of safety. For our flight attendants who are charged with the safety and security of travelers in-flight, cell phone use will exacerbate potential conflict among passengers and will create distractions from crew instructions both prior to takeoff and during flights, so it would be dangerous for all on board.

I thank the chairman and the ranking member for this opportunity to speak on this important issue, and I hope that although this amendment doesn't move forward, H.R. 3676 will receive floor consideration in due time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source