Originally Posted by wiredboy10003

IIRC, there were several points about radio devices which haven't been mentioned yet. First, the fear was that one cell phone might not do anything, but 300 might combine to cause problems.

Second, planes these days are fly-by-wire, which means that electrical wiring runs throughout the plane. The buzzing you hear on your stereo when your cell phone is nearby could be a really big deal at 35,000 feet. Older planes were controlled hydraulically and weren't as susceptible to interference.