Originally Posted by
nacirema
It's not naive thinking.
First - the company boasts on their website that until the day that FAA or FCC(not sure) approves cellphone usage, they have a very easy way of blocking VoIP. I'm not much of a techie but a good friend that is explained to me that it has something to do with intermitten bursts, enough for quick internet access and usage but totally useless for voice transmission. Maybe others can expend on that theory.
I am a techie and I understand the concept you're talking about. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's to never underestimate the intelligence of other techies to get around blocks, security mechanisms, and other forms of content and copy protection. People will always find a way to do what they want to do, often in ways that you can't predict. That's why I think it's naive to assume that folks won't find a way around this.
Originally Posted by
nacirema
Second - the airline(s) can make it a policy that using Skype or similar services during a flight is prohibited. Smoking is also possible but you don't see anybody doing it on the plane.
You're supposed to use the lavs in your ticketed cabin, too, but not everybody follows all the rules all the time! Somehow I think people will deduce that if they are permitted to talk to their seatmate, talking to their computer won't seem that much different.