Amid FAA Concerns, Verizon, AT&T Poised to Turn on C Band 5G: New Street

The FAA is warning the public that safety concerns remain as Verizon and AT&T prepare to turn on 5G in the C band next week. New Street’s Blair Levin emailed investors Sunday that the carriers are expected to proceed, after the statement last week from President Joe Biden (see 2201040070). “There is obviously some lingering tension and work to be done,” Levin said: But “the Presidential statement reframes the dispute, essentially binding the [Department of Transportation] and FAA to what the President said the parties agreed to.” The FAA warned that planned buffer zones around U.S. airports aren’t as strict as those in France, on which the U.S. approach is modeled. U.S. zones “only protect the last 20 seconds of flight, compared to a greater range in the French environment,” the FAA said: “5G power levels are lower in France. In the U.S., even the planned temporary nationwide lower power levels will be 2.5x higher than in France. In France, the government required that antenna[s] must be tilted downward to limit harmful interference. Similar restrictions do not apply to the U.S. deployment.” The FAA released the list of 50 airports Friday that will have buffer zones. “Many airports are not currently affected by the new 5G deployment, even though they are not on this list,” the agency said: “These include airports not in the 46 markets where the new service will be deployed and airports that do not currently have the ability to allow low-visibility landings.” The National Air Carrier Association said airlines want "to ensure that the first phase of 5G C-band deployment does not result in significant operational disruptions and that all segments of the industry have input into the process as we move forward.” Airlines For America, meanwhile, withdrew a December petition (see 2201030063) at the FCC asking the agency to block the start of 5G operations in the band, in a filing posted Monday in docket 18-122.