A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/838362
Senior Social Media Associate Meagan Roper: mroper@natcadc.org ; 202 - 220 - 9813 WEEKLY UPDATE FROM FAA ATO COO TERI BRISTOL June 9 SENSR: Investing in Innovation I would like to sh are an update about a program that has the potential to save the agency money and generate reve nue for the U.S. government. We're working closely with the Department of Defense, Homeland Security , and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to assess the feasibility of making portions of the radio spectrum we use for certain aircraft surveillance and weather, available for non - federal use. The objective of our cross - agency working group is to find ways to make use of less bandwidth by consolida ting existing radar systems and selling the excess bandwidth at auction. The Spectrum Efficient National Surveillance Radar (SENSR) team is already taking stock of some of the technologies that might fill the bill, and partnering with industry to fin d othe r innovative solutions. It is also worth noting that we are conducting this effort at no cost to the agency, with $71 million in funding provided to the FAA from the Office of Management and Budget. The rapid growth of 4G/LTE mobile and wireless internet services has led to increasing demand for the small slices of av ailable radio spectrum space. The spectrum we control between 1300 and 1350 MHz on the L - Band is very valuable bandwidth due to its ability to provide wireless transmission over long ranges. T he estimated value of this spectrum is $19 billion and preliminary plans include using the proceeds from its sale to finance the replacement of our air traffic control weather and surveillance radar network — all without impact to the FAA's budget. Gettin g from here to there entails research, engineering studies, economic analysis , and a lot of planning. The current schedule for SENSR envisions an investment decision in 2021, followed by initial deployments in 2024. Including our slice of the spectrum, thi s government - wide initiative to reallocate bandwidth seeks to nearly double the amount of spectrum that is commercially available, spurring economic growth, job creation, and the proliferation of wireless broadband internet service in every corner of the c ountry. I would like to thank the members of the SENSR program team in the PMO, and everyone else across the ATO who work on the innovative solutions that make our organization st ronger and our airspace safer. Your commitment to our mission makes a differ ence every day and I am proud of what we achieve together on our country's behalf. June 2 Budget & Reauthorization Hi everyone. Hurricane season kicked off yesterday, serving as an annual reminder to pay attention to the weather – in the operation, on - th e - job, and at home. Remember that we share a dual obligation to protect ourselves in our workplaces, and ensure the safety of the flying public.