AT&T and Verizon Communications agreed on Monday to establish buffer zones around 50 airports to reduce the risk of disruption caused by potential interference to sensitive airplane instruments such as altimeters. They also agreed to postpone deployment for two weeks in order to avoid an aviation safety standoff.
Airports in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Detroit, Dallas, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Miami are among those on the list.
According to the FAA, this does not "necessarily" mean that low-visibility flights cannot take place at airports that are not among the 50.
AT&T and Verizon, which won nearly all of the C-Band spectrum in a $80-billion auction last year, did not respond to requests for comment.
The FAA issued a new warning on Thursday that, despite the agreement, 5G wireless service could still disrupt flights, saying that "even with the temporary buffer around 50 airports, 5G deployment will increase the risk of disruption during low visibility," including "flight cancellations, diverted flights, and delays during periods of low visibility."
Some major airports, such as Denver, Atlanta, and Ronald Reagan Washington National, aren't on the list because 5G isn't yet available, while others aren't because "5G towers are far enough away that a natural buffer exists."
Other airports that are not listed do not currently have the capability of allowing low-visibility landings, according to the FAA. It stated that the delay will allow it to evaluate ways to minimize disruptions while also giving businesses more time to prepare.
"If there is a risk to the flying public, we are required to halt the activity until we can prove it is safe," the FAA stated.
ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin Burke, who leads the association that represents airports in the United States and Canada, said on Friday that the FAA list "is largely irrelevant because the entire aviation system is about to be negatively impacted by this poorly planned and coordinated expansion of 5G service in and around airports." According to him, the "so-called fix" will "create winners and losers within the airport community, and the entire aviation system will suffer as a result of the terms of this agreement."
Airlines for America, a trade group representing passenger and cargo carriers in the United States, praised the "FAA's efforts to implement mitigations for airports that may be most impacted by disruptions caused by the deployment of new 5G service."