Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) President and CEO Gary Shapiro recently issued the following statement regarding the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) declaratory ruling regarding the use of Continental Airlines’ Wi-Fi antenna within Boston-Logan International Airport. In granting a petition filed by Continental, the FCC ruled that restrictions on Continental’s use of its Wi-Fi antenna are pre-empted by the commission’s over-the-air reception devices (OTARD) rules.

“I applaud the FCC ruling today allowing Wi-Fi to be made available to the public, specifically those using it at Logan airport. CEA filed comments in support of this petition as we believe that making Wi-Fi available serves the traveling public, allowing anytime, anywhere connectivity. The availability of Wi-Fi devices and service is needed to encourage broadband deployment, which will provide enormous benefits to consumers and our economy.”