The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requests that some 5G C-Band broadcasts from smaller carriers be delayed by the American telecom regulatory body.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should impose the voluntary mitigations that AT&T and Verizon agreed to earlier this year for 19 smaller telecoms and other spectrum holders, according to Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen.
Nolen stated in a letter dated Friday that "aviation safety might be endangered if the U.S. government does not codify certain additional operational constraints in the 5G C-Band environment" based on previously published data from the industry.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel both received copies of the letter.
The NTIA, FAA, and FCC did not respond right away.
A few U.S. airports had delays earlier this year due to worries that the 5G service would interfere with aeroplane altimeters, which provide information on a plane's height above the ground and are essential for landing inclement weather.
In his letter, Nolen issues a dire warning: "The FAA would be required to take immediate steps to guarantee the safety of the travelling public, heightening the risk of flight disruptions across the United States," if the FCC did not mandate the mitigations.
As air carriers strive to upgrade aeroplanes to ensure they won't experience interference, Verizon and AT&T voluntarily decided to postpone some C-Band 5G usage until July 2023.
On January 17, airline CEOs issued a "catastrophic" aviation disaster alert that might have stopped practically all traffic due to the introduction of 5G.
A settlement reached just before a deadline in January did not stop scores of foreign airlines from cancelling flights to the US, and it gave the US regulatory system a bad reputation.
