How can electronic devices be FCC compliant to not cause interference yet can interfere with airplane communications?
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FCC complaince means it meets their standards. It does not mean the device has an exclusive claim to a particular frequency.
Many devices (especially hardware on planes) share frequencies and tech with stuff like phones. To avoid extra noise it is best to reduce any extra signals. Especially in a situation like take off/landing when they really need the info to come in clear.
The (hypothetical) issue is that even if a single device only emits a very weak interference that is below the FCC requirements, having hundreds of them in close proximity could possibly create a much worse result.
The concern has mostly to do with navigation systems, particularly instrument landing systems. A traditional ILS system in an aircraft receives signals from transmitters at the end of/adjacent to the runway. These transmitters operate at a frequency between 108-112Mhz(horizontal “localizer”) and 329-335MHz(glideslope). If a piece of equipment happens to generate interference in one of those frequency ranges it could render the navigation system inoperative or unreliable. While there are numerous backups and procedures to prevent this type of issue from bringing the aircraft down, it could cause a distraction at a critical time in the flight. Out of an abundance of caution this rule still remains even though the odds are very low of anything a passenger could bring onboard causing an issue.
The FAA regulates airplanes, not the FCC. Even though the FCC approved something for use in your home, that tells the FAA nothing about how it will respond in a plane. The FAA has specific interference tests, and almost all electronic device makers won’t pay to run those tests.
It probably wouldn’t. The problem is they are not FAA certified. No one wants to pay money to certify a device that’s going to be obsolete in 5 years.
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