It doesn't matter that the FAA is an effective organization and most of the regulations it comes up with are perfectly justified. The general public doesn't kno

It doesn't matter that the FAA is an effective organization and most of the regulations it comes up with are perfectly justified. The general public doesn't know what the training requirements are for pilots, or how to file a flight plan, or how the ATC system is run. They see this one policy regarding personal electronics, which is obviously flawed, and make judgments about the agency on that basis. So, rightly or wrongly, it does undermine public confidence in the FAA at least a little bit.