Aviation Interests Speak With Commissioner Aides on C-Band Delay

Aviation and aerospace representatives spoke with aides to all four FCC commissioners on wireless industry use of the C band for 5G. “Further delay and cooperation from the telecom industry are both essential to develop mutually agreeable temporary mitigations on cellular operations in order to maintain public safety,” they said, in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-122. The groups urged consideration of a safety proposal the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) filed Dec. 6. “The telecom industry’s proposed mitigations cannot adequately protect public safety, and we have yet to receive any feedback about our proposal or a willingness to consider it,” they said. “Absent further mitigations, and with the implementation of the FAA’s recent Airworthiness Directives (ADs), the aviation industry is anticipating impacts on 345,000 passenger flights, 32 million passengers, and 5,400 cargo flights in the form of delayed flights, diversions, or cancellations.” On the calls were AIA, Airlines for America, the Air Line Pilots Association, Aviation Spectrum Resources, Boeing, Collins Aerospace, Helicopter Association, Honeywell International and Lockheed Martin.