Industry’s View on the Year Ahead and FAA Reauthorization

By Alana Natke

FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 ends with Fiscal Year 2023. As the industry looks towards the time left in this five-year authorization, it’s time to voice priorities. As all of us involved in this industry know, a lot can change in the airspace in five short years. Panel moderator Donna McLean of PlanzerMcLean invited insights from Steve Brown, Chief Operating Officer, National Business Aviation Association; Richard Efford, Assistant Vice President, Legislative Affairs, AIA; Holly Woodruff Lyons, President, HWL Aerospace Policy, LLC; Jarrod Thompson, Vice President, Legislative and Regulatory Policy, Airlines for America (A4A); and Gina Zuckerman, VP of Legislative Policy, Cargo Airline Association.

The panel kicked off their discussion with a look at the pandemic’s impact and how this anomaly of an event could influence reauthorization statutory changes. Brown brought up the concern that the US ?lacks global protocols for health and COVID safety and future COVID-type situations. Thompson mentioned that U.S. Representative Rick Larson (D-Wash.) is working on a GAO Report on a National Aviation Prep Plan, which has become a key focus for stakeholders and government to debrief on what worked or didn’t work and how to move forward from here with better preparations. Efford added, “instead of starting from scratch as we did a couple of years ago, we now have those models in legislation to turn back to if something like this happens again.” At a time when the industry is hurting, the panel agreed that this time leading up to the 2023 reauthorization is critical.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) has been widely discussed in the media, particularly around airlines committed to being net-zero by 2050. McLean asked the panel to discuss how their organizations see the path towards SAF unfolding in the leadup to the reauthorization. Brown said that the demand for SAF is there, but the hurdle is its cost compared to the traditional fossil fuels it aims to replace. He added that what’s been created so far is highly encouraging. It just needs to be scaled up to create volume.

But how can the government help in this effort? Efford said he would like to see the government invest in this area and possibly offer tax credits in order to reach this “moonshot” goal. Thompson said, “I think it's even bigger than just the FAA Reauthorization. The airlines have made ambitious, bold goals. On the equivalent side, we need the government to make as bold of goals because we absolutely cannot meet those goals unless the government finds ways to help at a federal, state, and local level. Especially in tax policy.” Woodruff Lyons added that when something like this needs attention but involves the hands of many committees, it’s never too early to start the discussion. “Industry went out and made promises and are now running to Congress to pay for it. It’s better to coordinate with Congress [first] so everyone agrees and is willing to step up,” she said.

5G was also addressed as another extremely important issue unfolding in a very public matter. McLean asked the panelists to provide some insight into this aviation safety concern. Brown explained the background. “We had a spectrum auction some years ago, and part of the spectrum that was sold off for the use of future 5G service was a bit too close, from a real estate perspective to the tech being used by us for radio altimeters in the aviation context, as well as a couple of other capabilities onboard aircraft,” said Brown. “And because the real estate that was sold for future development is or 5G is being deployed, and it's a bit too close to the existing spectrum, there's interference, at least the concern of interference and probably some real interference that we're seeing documented.” The panel talked about the role of the FAA, the FCC, NTIA, and RTCA in this matter.

“In the near term, we're just focused on the FAA coming up with a safety assurance tool that can be a little more stable and predictable. In the long term, we do want to look at this government process and how we reallocate spectrum,” said Thompson. The panel agreed that aviation safety should be given more consideration, as we all learn from this cautionary tale of poor communication amongst regulators.

This panel’s lively discussion also included the FAA’s regulatory authority over commercial space, the Aviation Trust Fund, taxing new airspace users, and much more. For the full discussion, it is available to all ATCA Annual registrants to watch the recording if you missed it live or register for ATCA Annual if you have not already.

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The Air Traffic Control Association was established in Washington, D.C., in 1956 by a group of air traffic controllers, and has been from the outset dedicated to progress in the science of air traffic control and the preservation of a safe flight environment.