Interesting to note here is that everyone is assuming that 'electronic devices' must only mean cell phones, any electronic named after or sponsored by a fruit, or some sort of tablet. And to those thinking that it interferes with the aircraft's electronics, you really do not know what you're talking about.
I agree with the pilots that have popped up in this forum, as they know and have a lot more experience in the field than others here. I like to put myself in that boat, though I haven't completed the checkride to get my ticket. But I can say that they do not interfere whatsoever, otherwise this regulation would have affected not only Part 121 operations (commercial aircraft), but also Part 135 and Part 91 operations, which this does
NOT cover. So that already puts the FAA's regs under scrutiny.
The good thing to note for those who are student pilots or wanting to hear how Part 121 ops run while in the air, this also affects radio scanners as well. They do not transmit on any sort of frequency, so there would be no interference with any avionics in the flight deck. In fact, if worse came to worse, it would be an Phone or a tablet with 3G/4G/LTE that would cause more of an issue than a scanner would. So this would be a bonus for those who are into ATC comms (read: LiveATC feeds).
I love how the fear and paranoia of 9/11 still plays part into this..
Glad to know that Sen. McCaskill has the testicular fortitude (that the men in the Senate apparently don't) to take this issue on.
BL.