Is that consistent with net neutrality principles? Should commercial resellers of network connections be permitted, as a question of law, to set rules dictating the contents and endpoints of those bits?

(I'm not happy with the direction of tech culture, that this could be an open question. The first half of the computer revolution was about making cool things for people to use. The second half seems to be about taking those cool things away. I imagine an airline user from 1950's jet age, who would be beyond astounded to learn a human could talk to anyone on the planet from the *middle of the freakin' ocean*, through a series of space-based microwave relays—they would give their right hand to live in that reality. Now that we've created literal magic, we're... simply throwing it away? Bah, humbug).

They could trivially allow the network to be used for anything, but also have a rule about behavior in the cabin to not disturb any other passengers. They’d be imposing restrictions only on physical actions you take during the term of the contract between the two of you, and while you are in the location that contract specifies. The ticket is the contract. And they can say, “Don’t talk with your voice to anyone not on the plane.” Or however they’d like to word it.

Personally, I’d hate to be next to someone on a call on a plane, and I’d hate to be on a call while next to someone on a plane. This is personal preference. It is no better or worse than your personal preference to sit next to someone while they take a call or to take a call while sitting next to someone.

Perhaps we’ll see an evolution of plane seating to allow for quiet zones, similar to how some trains have quiet cars.

Analogously, terrestrial places that offer internet have behavioural restrictions on how they're used.

I can imagine a number of things that can kicked you out of coffee shops that have guest wifi. Since it's a private business, that doesn't bother me on principle.

Libraries are often pretty open about what they allow, but the one at my university had a policy of "porn is fine unless other patrons see it and object." I find that policy to be incredibly reasonable.

presumably... airlines have been allowing certain messaging providers (whatsapp, imessage, etc) to send text messages during a flight.

But you can't send a Signal message or send a photo.

It's an FAA, FCC, Department of Transportation, Airline and Flight attendant ban.

And that's before you get to the ban in law because the FCC mused about letting airlines decide. In 2018

Those regulations targeting EMI with aviation communications would no longer make sense, I think, when we're talking about the airliner's own wi-fi; that should be flight-qualified for that purpose.

> imagine an airline user from 1950's jet age, who would be beyond astounded to learn a human could talk to anyone on the planet from the middle of the freakin' ocean, through a series of space-based microwave relays—they would give their right hand to live in that reality.

Well, perhaps, since air travel was much more heavily slanted towards high-ranking executives. For them communication matters.

For the vast majority of everyone, it is true now, and it was then, that sending and receiving communications up to a day earlier than otherwise doesn't approach the value of your right hand.

It's disappointing to see your comment downvoted because although I strongly don't want people making calls on the plane, your perspective is interesting and you make a good argument :-)

I would definitely agree I don't want arbitrary restrictions, but when jamming a ton of humans from all walks of life into a narrow metal tube, sealing it, and sailing it through the air, we have to have some common rules of conduct to prevent it turning into an unbearable hell for some of the people. Definitely don't want to see governments pass laws or even ISPs, but the plane owners I see no issue with and in fact think it is an important thing to do.

There's a difference between "you can't use Zoom but you can use Webex" and "you aren't permitted to do video or voice calls on our plane."