OPINION:
Back when I served in Congress on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I had the unique and eye-opening opportunity to tour one of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) air traffic control towers.
The level of coordination, technology and communication involved was remarkable to say the least. While most of us take the day-to-day operation and control of our airways for granted, once you see how it is all done in person, you begin to realize the sheer complexity of the system that keeps our nation’s air travel and air commerce safe and efficient. Another takeaway from that tour, this one troubling, was that the U.S. was behind the curve in terms of technologies needed to keep up with the constantly expanding volume of air traffic — and that was 15 years ago.
I fear that in the interceding time we have not only failed to completely catch up; but with the abundance of new technologies, challenges and uses of our airspace, we may in fact be falling even further behind. The good news is that plans are now in place to make much needed upgrades.
The FAA is currently in the acquisition-and-planning phase to upgrade the infrastructure that underpins airspace communications services. The FAA Enterprise Network Services (FENS) program will replace the outdated FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) and serve as the ultimate integrator, creating a new and secure infrastructure to support new technologies and future expansions and improvements.
Since the FTI system first came online back in 2002 much has changed, in both communications technology and the world of aviation. For instance, the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or drones has grown exponentially over the past few years.
As drones are used more and more for commercial purposes — including, in the very near future, package delivery … and increasingly operate in commercial airspace, the potential for interference or collision with manned aircraft increases. Our current air traffic control system is simply not equipped to deal adequately with this new use of our airspace, and the coexisting challenges and opportunities it provides.
Perhaps most critical is the issue of aerospace security. Cyber-attacks are becoming more common and can be carried out by both malicious amateur hackers as well as hostile nation-states like China. These attacks are becoming both more numerous and larger in scale. Between 2017 and 2018 for example, there was a 15,000 percent increase in cyberattacks targeting airlines.
The largest attack in 2018 meanwhile, was nearly double the bandwidth of the largest attack recorded in 2016; demonstrating the exponential growth of both the size and scope of these cyber-attacks. An upgraded airspace control system could do much to decrease vulnerability to such threats.
This unique and difficult period in our history presents us with the opportunity to do what is needed to implement FENS and bring our aerospace system up to date. The ravages of COVID-19 and the economic lockdowns occasioned by it have resulted in a dramatic, and hopefully temporary, decrease in air travel. We will beat this pandemic and when we do Americans will once again take to the skies. They must be able to rely on the FAA to ensure that that travel is safe and efficient. We have a window, right now, before the skies become crowded again, to make these necessary improvements.
Times like this also compel us to reevaluate priorities, especially those of government. Congress has already authorized some $3.7 trillion in pandemic-related spending; the Trump administration, a further $500 billion. Billions of that almost inconceivable amount has funded programs and projects that are sacred to various powerful Members of Congress but that have little or nothing to do with COVID-19 or the proper functions of government.
It is almost universally accepted, even in this polarized age, that the first and primary function of government is to provide for the safety and security of the nation’s citizens. Providing for our military and a strong national defense is a clear priority; so is providing for the safety and security of our airways.
The FAA has, in FENS, the technology available to meet these and other challenges. But while the need for Congress and the Administration to make FAA modernization a top priority may easily get lost amid the noise of the moment, it cannot be overlooked. Nor can it be allowed to fall into the usual tangle of Washington bureaucracy that leads inevitably to endless delays and cost overruns. The federal government has a duty to the people of the United States to be clear-eyed and flexible in bringing our air control system into the 21st century and now is the time to act.
• Bob Beauprez previously represented Colorado in the House of Representatives and served on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and was Vice-Chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.