Harriet Baskas Travel writer

When will we be able to surf the Web, send text messages and answer e-mail from an airplane flying over the United States?

Any day now.

Alaska, American, Southwest, Continental and Virgin America are among the airlines planning to begin testing sky-high wireless Internet services in the next few months; and JetBlue Airways is already allowing passengers to try out a limited Wi-Fi service on one of its planes.

Cool, right?  I think so. If it's technologically possible, I'm all for being able to send and receive e-mail, turn in work, check in with friends, family and co-workers, and surf the Web on my next cross-country plane trip.

Guess where I'm calling from?
Now, when will we be able to make and receive calls on our cell phones on an airplane flying over the United States?

Soon. Or maybe never.

New European Union (EU) rules make it likely that travelers will be able to place cell phone calls on flights in EU airspace as soon as this summer, and Air France is already testing such a service on one of its planes.

Cell phone service on flights within the United States, however, will take much longer to touch down. Citing security issues, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Communication Commission are currently upholding the ban on cell phone calls on flights. And even though wireless Internet services will soon be rolled out on many U.S. carriers, a group of lawmakers is trying to insure that in-flight cell phone service never arrives.

Hang up and fly?
Blaming it not on safety issues, but on social concerns, several senior members of the Committee on Transportation Infrastructure Committee have introduced the HANG UP Act, which stands for "Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace."  The bill proposes to ban cell phone calls on all commercial flights in the United States, while still allowing travelers to use wireless services for texting, emailing, and other communication.

"The public doesn’t want to be subjected to people talking on their cell phones on an already over-packed airplane," said Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.).

Are air travelers solidly behind DeFazio and his "hang up and fly" buddies on this one?

Advocates of the HANG UP Act claim consumers are overwhelmingly opposed to having cell phone service on airplanes. As proof, they point to a poll sponsored by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the National Consumers League. In that survey, 63 percent of those polled were against in-flight cell phones, 21 percent were in favor of allowing in-flight cell phone calls, and flight attendants in general were concerned about having to be the ones to referee disagreements they were sure would erupt if in-flight cell phone conversations were permitted.

However, that survey was conducted in 2005, when "just" 69 percent of the U.S. population had cell phones. At the end of 2007, more than 84 percent of the U.S. population had cell phones and they were using them in more and more places.

Should that include airplanes?
Gregg Stebben, the Chief Internet Evangelist for PC Pitstop.com, says the in-flight cell phone issue isn't really a new debate, just a natural extension of the conversation our society has been having for years now about how we get along — or not — on buses, subways and other forms of public transportation. 

The Well-Mannered Traveler Beijing may take some getting used to How to avoid the summer air travel blues Airlines cracking down on carry-ons Weighty issues for air travelers Beware the ‘dreaded year-end nose pickers’ Travelers have plenty to complain about With cell phones on planes, silence is golden Finding what you've lost at the airport Taking a road trip? Sign at the dotted line More columns

When it comes to using cell phones on airplanes, his initial response is, "Look, it's a technologically advanced world" and business travelers especially would love to be able to use cell phones to conduct business on airplanes, no matter what it costs. "But while I'd like to be able to use my cell phone on an airplane," he says, "I don't necessarily want to hear other people chatting away on their cell phones" in seats nearby.

Stebben and I tossed around a few scenarios for how in-flight cell phone service might work.  Perhaps there should be strict limits on the number of cell phone calls that can be underway on an airplane at any one time. (Right now, it appears to top out at six on the Air France test flights.)  Maybe anyone making a cell phone call should be required to use a headset. Or maybe there should be time limits on all calls, quiet times when no calls can be made at all, and/or special areas on the plane (i.e. phone booths) that are set aside for chatting. 

Stebben is sure that in-flight cell phone service will become available, sooner or later, on commercial flights in the U.S. When it is, he hopes each airline is allowed to decide for itself whether or not to offer the service to passengers — and he hopes travelers will have a choice about whether or not to fly on airplanes equipped with cell phone service. "In fact," he says, "If I was booking a flight and it was going to cost me $50 extra to be on an airline that didn't allow cell phone calls, I may be willing to pay that extra fee."

There's no turning back
Rich Ling also views in-flight cell phone service as already way beyond the "should we have it?" phase. Chatting with me from his home in Norway, the author of "New Tech, New Ties: How Mobil Communication Is Reshaping Social Cohesion," Ling said, "We really can't say, 'No telephones.' People's desire to use the phone on the plane is not going to go away. We're just going to have to work it out amongst ourselves. That's why we have the rules of etiquette and courtesy."

For years now, Ling has been studying how society is adapting to mobile phone use. In fact, in 1997 he published a paper about the use of cell phones in restaurants and other "inappropriate situations." Several people he interviewed for that study mentioned airports, trains and buses as places where they considered it inappropriate to use cell phones.

Now, of course, unless you're one of those LOUD TALKERS, no one really gives a hoot if you use your cell phone in an airport, on a train or on a bus. Ling says that's an example of society's shifting rules about technology. It's also why he's sure travelers will eventually work out the rules for in-flight cell phone calling. "Talkers will need to use discretion. People around them will need to have a little tolerance. And everyone should learn to text, text, text. There may be some heated situations that come out of it, but we're going to work it through and learn when, and where, and how it's OK to do this."

And how long will it take to work it out? Rich Ling says, "You can't do it right away. We're talking years, not months." 

To that, Greg Stebben of PCPitstop.com says, "I think now is a great time to invest in a good set of noise canceling headphones."

Harriet Baskas writes msnbc.com's popular weekly column, The Well-Mannered Traveler. She is the author of the “Stuck at the Airport” blog, a contributor to National Public Radio and a columnist for USATODAY.com.

Don't miss these Travel stories from msnbc.com   Coming to America — for a great currency rate Hold it!  You CAN salvage your summer break Readers share their tales of travel woe Age, wage not just idle chit-chat in China Lawyer seeks $5 million for delayed, stressful trip

MORE FROM WELL-MANNERED TRAVELER

Beware the boot: Helping parents, kids fly right

Beware the boot: Helping parents, kids fly right Be a Well-Mannered Traveler in Beijing Commuters pull over, flock to buses, carpools How to avoid the summer air travel blues Airlines cracking down on carry-ons Weighty issues for air travelers Beware the ‘dreaded year-end nose pickers’ Don't let gas prices affect your summer plans Travelers have plenty to complain about With cell phones on planes, silence is golden   Add Well-Mannered Traveler headlines to your news reader: