On every commercial flight in America today, an airline attendant will announce words similar to the following: “When the cabin door closes, the use of cell phones is prohibited on this flight until we have landed safely at our destination.”

Some attendants will attribute the ban to the Federal Aviation Administration; others to the Federal Communications Commission; others to airline policy. All three interpretations are correct.

During a flight, we passengers – some blissfully and some anxiously – are untethered from our wireless umbilical cords. We can use other electronic devices, but cell phones and wireless handhelds such as BlackBerry PDAs are strictly prohibited. When the plane lands, many of us, like addicts in search of a quick fix, reach eagerly for our wireless devices.

We can lawfully use cell phones and PDAs almost anywhere in America except courtrooms, some medical facilities, and airplanes. The prohibition thus far has been the result more of an abundance of caution than of science. Caution has merit, but it may be misplaced.

For years, both telephone and Internet access in flight have been available on a costly basis via handsets embedded in the backs of many airline chairs. The pricing of these services no doubt reflects an absence of competition.

Modern airliners are literally flying electrical fields enshrouded in miles of electricity-conducting copper, cable, and fiber. It is not obvious that the relatively low power of cell phones potentially affects the important electrical, navigation, communications, and other systems on an airplane. The FAA holds it to be safe for passengers to use their cell phones as they taxi to the terminal after a flight, but not beforehand. The Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, a private organization, is reviewing the complex interference issues related to cell phone usage on airliners.

I am not aware of an instance where aircraft have been brought down by the use of a cell phone or PDA. If it were possible to do this, the Department of Homeland Security should require that these devices not be taken on board as carry-on items, in the same way as knives and sharp scissors are prohibited.

The FCC for years has been concerned about the potential for interfering noise pollution from an airplane, flying above hundreds of cell sites within an hour, potentially clogging them with redundant traffic along the way.

If technology stood still, the ban on cell phone usage would be unimportant. But for the past decade, several firms have been developing new technologies to facilitate the use of cell phones on planes. Aircell developed a relatively non-interfering 800 Mhz technology for air-to-ground communications in the late 1990s.

More recently, Qualcomm, Telenor, AIRINC Incorporated, and others have developed technologies based on a “pico cell.” A pico cell is an on-board base station that can send and receive low-power wireless signals on board a plane and then connect those signals to networks either on the ground or through satellites. These technologies offer great promise for cell phone usage, but that usage is prohibited, both by the FAA and the FCC.

In light of these new technologies, the FCC has a proceeding underway to review its rules and to consider permitting the use of cell phones on airplanes. Even if the FCC were to rule that such services could be offered, they would remain prohibited by the FAA.

A curious coalition of the Communications Workers of America, the Association of Flight Attendants, and the National Consumers League last week submitted results of a consumer survey to the FCC. Those results suggested that 63% of the surveyed consumers support the ban.

At a news conference last week, the groups suggested a parade of unsubstantiated safety horrors, such as interference with navigation systems if the ban were lifted. These groups have urged members to send comments to the FCC supporting the ban. So far, thousands have apparently done so, expressing the opinion that cell phones are not safe.

Safety for airlines is of paramount importance. But safety is a matter of science, not opinion. Many consumers would like to have the option of cell phone usage on planes if such usage were proven safe. The FCC should consider the science – and then act on it.

A former FCC commissioner, Mr. Furchtgott-Roth is president of Furchtgott-Roth Economic Enterprises. He can be reached at hfr@furchtgott-roth.com.