The reason the FCC prohibits cell phone use on aircraft is due to safety. In order for cell phone use to be permitted by current government standards (FCC regulations) the FCC must have certification that the cell phone cannot interfere with any aircraft instruments. In order for this certification to occur every possible cellular phone manufactured in the past and currently would have to be tested against ALL aircraft instruments and be certified with a clean bill of health. Now most all cellular phones used in the US today do not pose a hazard and if they do it is negligible. However, there are cell phones that could end up on a US aircraft that are not intended for use in the US and do not meet the standards set forth for use in the US. So the easy way out is to say "since there is the possibility of a cell phone being in existence that could end up on an aircraft and might cause interference with the instrumentation, we will deny the use of cell phones."

Now with that said. I prefer they never permit the use of cell phones on aircraft and that no one every equips and aircraft with a repeater that will allow them to work at altitude since most people would abuse this priviledge as well. We would have to listen to their loud talking and so on and so on.