FAA Chief Asserts ADS-B Was Never Intended for Fee Collection Amidst State Opposition
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford clarified to lawmakers this week that the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology was never designed to be a fee-collection tool. This statement adds to the growing opposition against airports utilizing the safety system for billing purposes.
Bedford’s remarks were made during a Senate Aviation Subcommittee hearing, amidst a rush by multiple states to prohibit the practice. Currently, over a dozen states are contemplating legislation to prevent ADS-B from being used to collect landing fees from general aviation pilots. Notably, Florida and Louisiana have recently enacted such prohibitions.
“ADS-B is intended solely for safety and situational awareness, not for revenue collection,” Bedford emphasized. “We frown on the concept of using ADS-B information for revenue collection at airports, and if we need to step up that in terms of how aggressively we dissuade that, we will.”
The controversy revolves around third-party companies like Vector Airport Systems that have signed contracts with airports to automatically track aircraft using ADS-B data and generate landing fee invoices—sometimes charging aircraft that never actually landed. Aviation groups, including the AOPA, argue that this misuse of safety technology could deter pilots from using ADS-B, thereby potentially compromising aviation safety.
Legislation such as the Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act (PAPA) is being proposed in Congress to establish a nationwide ban on using ADS-B for fee collection. This move has garnered support from both pilot organizations and the NTSB Chair.
Source: https://avweb.com/aviation-news/bedford-pushes-back-ads-b-fee-collection/