U.S. House Committee passes bill prohibiting voice calls during flight

A U.S. House of Representatives committee has reportedly passed legislation, banning the use of mobile phone during airline flights.

The bill, that exempts members of the flight crew and law enforcement agencies from the ban, has been passed despite Federal Communications Commission's move to allow in-flight calls.

According to PC World, the 'Prohibiting In-Flight Voice Communications on Mobile Wireless Devices Act', sponsored by Representative Bill Shuster, would allow mobile phone and tablet users to surf the Internet and send text messages during flights, but would ban voice calls in most cases.

The bill was introduced by Pennsylvania Republican Shuster in December following FCC's nod to move forward with a plan, allowing passengers to use mobile phones during flights.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Transportation has said that it will consider its own ban on voice calls during flights.