The transportation department is again weighing up the possibility of allowing voice calls on aircraft.
If allowed, individual airlines would be required to inform passengers in advance if voice calls were permitted on any given flight
"The Department of Transportation is proposing to protect airline passengers from being unwillingly exposed to voice calls within the confines of an airplane," transportation secretary Anthony Foxx said.
Individual airlines would likely have the option to choose to allow phone conversations or not, the DOT said.
The agency has called for more public comment on the divisive issue which in the past has been overwhelmingly opposed by flyers and consumer groups.
The transportation department found 96% favoured a continued ban on voice calls when the subject was last up for public discussion in 2014.
The DOT proposal would require airlines ‘to provide adequate advance notice’ if they decided to allow calls in the air.
"To summarize, the current proposed rulemaking would regulate voice calls onboard aircraft as a matter of consumer protection, rather than as a matter of ensuring aviation safety or preventing cellular interference with ground networks."
Trade group Airlines for America says airlines should be given the right to decide themselves whether to allow it, while unions strongly oppose it.
"The American public does not want voice communication in flight. Anything short of banning voice calls is reckless. It threatens aviation security and increases the likelihood of conflict in the skies. It threatens safety for crews and passengers," said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.
The DOT will open a 60-day comment period to collect views from the general public.
