“…proposals to auction off additional spectrum in the upper C-band without proper mitigations in place would pose an unnecessary risk to aviation safety.” – former FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker 

“Any attempt to auction and deploy this spectrum within two years would be dangerous.”— former Deputy FAA Administrator Katie Thomson

“This is yet another Dumb, Dangerous, and Unnecessary idea. When the previous spectrum sale occurred, it was a safety crisis that the entire aviation community had to be protected from.” – Capt. ‘Sully’ Sullenberger 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, former FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker, safety expert Captain “Sully” Sullenberger and former Deputy FAA Administrator Katie Thomson spoke out against Chair Cruz’s reconciliation proposal to auction 800mhz of spectrum, including spectrum immediately adjacent to bands used by radio altimeters for commercial and military aircraft. Radio altimeters provide pilots with precise altitude readings during takeoff and landing, particularly in low-visibility conditions. When similar spectrum was auctioned in 2020, 5G deployment caused flight cancellations, forced 600 5G towers to go dark on launch day and left over 1,000 aircraft restricted from certain landings.

"Current legislative proposals to auction off additional spectrum in the upper C-band without proper mitigations in place would pose an unnecessary risk to aviation safety,” said Michael Whitaker. “In the absence of a clear path forward with robust standards for radio altimeters, the proposed timeline would adversely impact safety and constrain operations in the NAS. At a time when the U.S. aviation system is at a crossroads, there must be a collective effort to ensure further strain is not needlessly placed on the NAS. It is vital that we leverage the lessons learned from the last spectrum auction and proactively take the necessary steps now to uphold and maintain the highest standards of safety for the flying public."

“Here we go again,” said Captain ‘Sully’ Sullenberger. “This is yet another Dumb, Dangerous, and Unnecessary idea. It is a sale of radio frequency spectrum that belongs to the American people for critically important aviation safety devices that protect us when we fly, and for military uses! Radio altimeters are the ONLY device that can provide pilots with their exact height above the ground during low visibility landings of civilian aircraft, and for low-level flights of military aircraft. I cannot stress enough how important these devices are and that ANY interference is absolutely unacceptable, a safety hazard, and cannot be tolerated. This spectrum MUST NOT BE SOLD to mobile providers!”

“When the previous spectrum sale occurred, it was a safety crisis that the entire aviation community had to be protected from,” Sullenberger added. “New radio altimeters had to be designed and manufactured to be able to withstand this frequency interference and entire fleets of aircraft globally had to have their radio altimeters replaced at great cost in time and money. And of course, this took time, and it DID result in delays. Cruz is wrong. AT&T has already said that demand may not be that great, so should we create a catastrophe? Once we lose it, it will be gone forever. It is clear to everyone that our entire aviation system is stressed and it would not take much to push it over the edge needlessly.”

In her role as Deputy FAA Administrator, Katie Thomson was responsible for overseeing FAA’s implementation of spectrum law and policy to ensure that deployment of 5G C-Band could safely co-exist with aviation safety requirements. In November 2024, Thomson convened a meeting with federal agencies, aviation industry and telecom stakeholders to discuss necessary safety steps that would have to take place prior to a proposed spectrum auction in the upper C-Band to ensure safety. Even telecommunications companies acknowledged the safety measures must be in place first.

“We must avoid the mistakes of the past to allow for the successful deployment of additional spectrum that does not jeopardize aviation safety or unduly constrain the National Airspace System (NAS), Katie Thomson said. “Any attempt to auction and deploy this spectrum within two years would be dangerous. It would force aviation users in the system to fly without proper safety equipment, or risk widespread flight cancellations and resulting disruptions to consumers. Either way, we cannot recreate the chaos of 2021 and 2022.”  Thomson’s full statement is here.

Yesterday, Sen. Cantwell reiterated her concerns about the risks to aviation safety, stating: “This bill would auction off spectrum essential for military drone operations and risk grounding both civilian and military aircraft due to interference with airplane altimeters. It would jeopardize our weather tracking radar systems and the bands we rely on for WiFi connectivity. And for what? So telecommunications companies—the same ones that failed to protect Americans from Salt Typhoon—can profit and Trump can hawk more of his $47.45 phone plans. This is a fundamental threat to our national defense and a massive giveaway to China."

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