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FAA to discuss easing up on in-flight electronic devices  
A federal advisory panel will meet this week to come up with recommendations for the use of electronic devices on airplanes during take-offs and landings.

The Federal Aviation Administration committee, which has been meeting since January, will gather behind closed doors tomorrow and Wednesday to discuss whether or not restrictions should be eased, an FAA spokesperson said.

The panel of industry and labor representatives had been scheduled to make recommendations in July, but the FAA extended the deadline to this month.

"The FAA recognizes consumers are intensely interested in the use of personal electronics aboard aircraft," the FAA said in a written statement. "That is why we tasked a government-industry group to examine the safety issues and the feasibility of changing the current restrictions. The group is meeting again this week and is expected to complete a report to the FAA by the end of the month. We will wait for the group to finish its work before we determine next steps."

FAA restrictions on electronics go back decades, before smartphones and computer tablets became ubiquitous. They were put in place because of concerns that devices could interfere with a plane's communications systems.

But there's been no definitive proof that the electronics tamper with a plane's systems. Currently, the use of electronic devices is allowed above 10,000 feet.

Any FAA recommendation would not apply to the use of cell phones on planes, which is prohibited by the Federal Communications Commission.