Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHONOLOGY
Tuesday 24 OcTOber 2017
Q&A on proposed ban on laptops in luggage

By JOAN LOWY checked bags.
Associated Press The FAA is presenting its
WASHINGTON (AP) — First case at a meeting this
the U.S. government tem- week and next of ICAO’s
porarily banned laptops dangerous goods panel.
in the cabins of some air- European aviation safety
planes. Now it is looking to regulators, aircraft manu-
ban them from checked facturers and pilots’ unions
luggage on international have endorsed the pro-
flights, citing the risk of po- posal.Even if the panel
tentially catastrophic fires. were to agree with the pro-
The Federal Aviation Ad- posal, it would still need to
ministration recently rec- be adopted at higher lev-
ommended that the U.N. els of ICAO. And it would
agency that sets global only apply to international
aviation standards prohibit flights.
passengers from putting WILL THE U.S. IMPOSE A BAN
laptops and other large ON CHECKING LAPTOPS
personal electronic devic- ON DOMESTIC FLIGHTS?
es in their checked bags. In this April 2014 file image frame grab from video, provided by the Federal Aviation Administra- This is unclear. Individu-
The FAA says in a filing with tion (FAA), a test at the FAAs technical center in Atlantic City, N.J. al countries can decide
the International Civil Avia- Associated Press whether to implement do-
tion Organization that the the FAA was able to con- temperature continually ris- ment of Homeland Secu- mestic bans. The United
lithium-ion batteries in lap- vince ICAO two years ago es. There was a fire almost rity imposed a ban on lap- States has not indicated if
tops can overheat and to ban cargo shipments of immediately and an explo- tops in the cabins of planes it will do so.
create fires. lithium batteries on passen- sion within 40 seconds with coming into the U.S. from The effect of such a ban
Some questions and an- ger planes and to require enough force to potentially 10 Middle Eastern airports may not be great, since
swers about the shifting that batteries shipped on disable the fire suppression to prevent them from be- many passengers don’t
U.S. policy. cargo planes be charged system. ing used as a tool in an check bags to avoid sur-
WHY IS THE FAA WORRIED no more than 30 percent. Other tests of laptop bat- attack. Many passengers charges, and those that
ABOUT THIS DANGER NOW? The risk of overheating is teries packed in suitcases put their laptops in their do often prefer to carry on
The FAA has long been lower if the battery isn’t fully with goods like nail polish checked bags instead. electronics.
concerned about the po- charged. remover, hand sanitizer The ban was fully lifted in WILL THE U.S. CONTINUE
tential hazardous of lithium More recently, the FAA and rubbing alcohol also July after airports in the re- TO PUSH FOR THE INTERNA-
batteries. The agency’s conducted 10 tests of fully resulted in large fires, al- gion took steps to improve TIONAL BAN?
tests of the risks of shipping charged laptops packed though no explosions. security.This ban is being This is also unclear. The
large quantities of batter- in suitcases. In one test, ISN’T THE GOVERNMENT sought by the FAA, which FAA, which favors the ban,
ies as cargo on airliners an 8-ounce aerosol can CONTRADICTING ITSELF BY is focused on the risk of an is handling negotiations for
showed that when a single of dry shampoo —which is FIRST SAY LAPTOPS SHOULD accidental explosion more the U.S. at the ICAO meet-
battery overheats, it can permitted in checked bag- BE CHECKED, THEN SAYING than the prospect of a ter- ing. But, for future meet-
cause other nearby bat- gage — was strapped to THEY SHOULDN’T? rorist attack. ings, Transportation Secre-
teries to overheat as well. the laptop. A heater was The different messages are WHEN WILL THIS GO INTO tary Elaine Chao is having
That can result in intense placed against the lap- the result of two agencies EFFECT? another agency, the Pipe-
fires and the release of ex- top’s battery to force it into with different missions: se- There are no guarantees line and Hazardous Materi-
plosive gases. “thermal runaway,” a con- curity versus safety. that there will be ban als Safety Administration,
Based on those test results, dition in which the battery’s Last March, the Depart- on packing laptops in take the lead.q

Google parent turns on internet balloons in Puerto Rico

By RYAN NAKASHIMA also solar-powered and tated the U.S. territory of
AP Technology Writer only provide signal during 3.4 million people since
MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) the daySeveral more bal- making landfall last month.
— Google’s parent Alpha- loons are on their way from Gov. Ricardo Rossello said
bet Inc. said Friday that its Nevada, and Alphabet Friday the death toll had
stratospheric balloons are has been authorized by the risen to 49. Less than a fifth
now delivering the internet Federal Communications of the island has electric-
to remote areas of Puerto Commission to send up to ity, half its cellphone tow-
Rico where cellphone tow- 30 balloons to serve the ers are still not function-
ers were knocked out by hard-hit area, according to ing, schools are closed
Hurricane Maria. Libby Leahy, spokeswoman and more than 4,000 are
Two of the search giant’s for Alphabet’s X, its division in shelters, according to a
“Project Loon” balloons for futuristic technologies. government website .AT&T
are already over the coun- Project Loon head Alastair spokesman Jeffrey Kobs
try enabling texts, emails Westgarth said in a blog said the company has set
and basic web access post that Project Loon is up 14 temporary cell sites,
to AT&T customers with This Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017 photo provided by Project Loon “still an experimental tech- and as of Friday more than
handsets that use its 4G shows a stratospheric balloon taking off for Puerto Rico from the nology and we’re not quite 60 percent of the popula-
LTE network.The balloons project site in Winnemucca, Nev. sure how well it will work,” tion was connected via
— called HBAL199 and Associated Press though it has been tested mobile network, in part due
HBAL237 — are more than FlightRadar24.com . They best position to deliver sig- since last year in Peru fol- to the help of humanitarian
60,000 feet (18,000 meters) navigate using an algo- nal by rising and falling to lowing flooding there. and government groups
above land, according to rithm that puts them in the ride wind currents. They are Hurricane Maria devas- and Project Loon. q