Republicans on Wednesday proposed a sweeping reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration that includes privatizing the nation’s air traffic control system under a “robust oversight agency.”
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., said his six-year FAA measure is aimed at reforming the air industry in America, and said it would make air travel more efficient, cost-effective and safer for air passengers and businesses.
Recommended Stories
Privatizing the nation’s air traffic control system, however, will be tough to accomplish. The White House has already signaled it doesn’t like the idea, and when Shuster announced the proposal, no Democrats stood beside him.
Shuster said despite the lack of Democratic enthusiasm, he believes the change is needed to help speed up modernization of the nation’s air traffic control system, which lags behind Europe and Canada and is using decades-old radar technology to track planes.
“Our solution is an independent, not-for-profit corporation,” Shuster explained. “It will be governed by a board of directors. It allows the FAA to focus on safety, where it belongs.”
The independent agency will be able to go outside of Congress to obtain the money needed to modernize the system, rather than having to rely on the appropriations process that is so often politicized.
“They can go to the market, borrow dollars, issue bonds based on cash flow, to go forward and make the investments for the long term,” Shuster said.
The privatization plan would allow the elimination of many of the nine taxes passengers pay when they purchase an airline ticket, he added.
Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., who served as the top Republican on the committee for many years, praised the plan. He said air traffic controllers are still using small paper slips to track planes rather than satellite data.
“I’m not kidding, they use these little paper slips,” Mica said, holding one up for reporters to see. “We can’t continue this way. We have an opportunity here with a bold new approach, and what better way than to let the stakeholders take on this responsibility.”
The FAA reauthorization measure includes dozens of reforms to the system, some of them directed at the common frustrations experienced by regular airline passengers.
For example, the legislation bans in-flight cellphone calls on commercial airlines, and it requires airlines to refund bag fees when luggage is missing for more than 24 hours.
Another reform would require airlines to contact families if they are assigned separate seats.
The reauthorization measure also tackles the fast-growing use of drones and their impact on airline safety. It directs the FAA to conduct a study on how drones impact privacy, and it directs the agency to conduct a pilot program to evaluate drone detection and mitigation technology at airports.
