WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Congressional hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 12, will examine the status — and delays — of the FAA’s air traffic control modernization program known as the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen).
The Subcommittee on Aviation, chaired by U.S. Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.), will receive testimony from federal government and aviation industry witnesses regarding the management and status of NextGen. This modernization effort will transform the national air traffic system by transitioning from a ground-based radar system to a satellite-based surveillance system; developing data communications capabilities between aircraft and the ground to reduce controller and pilot workload; improving aviation weather forecasting and monitoring systems; and creating shared and distributed information technology architectures.
The 10 a.m. hearing will focus in part on concerns that the FAA has not yet taken several steps required by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act to improve NextGen accountability, as well as a recent Department of Transportation Inspector General (DOT IG) report highlighting concerns over delays in NextGen implementation.
More information about Wednesday’s hearing is available here. Live webcast will be available at Transportation.house.gov
Witnesses include:
- John D. Porcari, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation
- Michael P. Huerta, FAA Acting Administrator
- Calvin L. Scovel, III, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation
- Dr. Gerald Dillingham, Director, Physical Infrastructure Division, Government Accountability Offic
- Sue Baer, Director of Aviation, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
- David J. Barger, President and CEO, JetBlue Airways
- Ed Bolen, President and CEO, National Business Aviation Association
- Paul Rinaldi, President, National Air Traffic Controllers Association
