Sometimes you fight the battles you can win. It might make sense to secure the entire cabin but we know that won't happen on a civilian flight. People will get their panties in a bunch over a minor inconvenience.
That's all this really is. It just took this long for someone sufficiently powerful to run afoul of this particular rule.
Some senator was inconvenienced, so now suddenly things much change.
If you can't be unplugged long enough for a plan to get into the air then you really need to be unplugged for purely therapeutic reasons.
Reminds me of a certain recent Dr Who episode... Upgrades!