AT&T, Verizon pause some new 5G after airlines raise alarm

AT&T and Verizon will postpone rolling out new 5G service near major airports after airlines warned the technology could cause massive flight disruptions.

CEOs of the nation’s largest airlines said the wireless service could interfere with aircraft systems and potentially ground flights.

"To be blunt, the nation’s commerce will grind to a halt" unless the service is blocked near major airports, the CEOs said in a letter Monday to federal officials including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has previously taken the airlines’ side in the matter.

"Unless our major hubs are cleared to fly, the vast majority of the traveling and shipping public will essentially be grounded. This means that on a day like yesterday, more than 1,100 flights and 100,000 passengers would be subjected to cancellations, diversions or delays," the CEOs said.

The new high-speed wireless service uses a segment of the radio spectrum, C-Band, that is close to that used by altimeters, an important piece of safety equipment used in an aircraft. Altimeters are used to help pilots land when visibility is poor, and they link to other systems on planes.

AT&T and Verizon say their equipment won't interfere with aircraft electronics, and that the technology is being safely used in many other countries. But the FAA previously said "deployments of 5G technology in other countries often involve different conditions than those proposed for the U.S.," including lower power levels and antennas aimed downward to reduce potential disruptions.

President Joe Biden said the agreements by the wireless companies "will avoid potentially devastating disruptions to passenger travel, cargo operations, and our economic recovery, while allowing more than 90% of wireless tower deployment to occur as scheduled." He said the administration will keep working with both sides to reach a permanent solution around key airports.

The Federal Aviation Administration earlier said 50 airports will have buffer zones to help reduce any risk of 5G interference with aircraft equipment. The wireless companies agreed to turn off transmitters near these airports for six months. The list of airports includes LaGuardia, Kennedy and Long Island MacArthur.

"The Port Authority is in active communication with its airline partners and federal agencies with respect to the rollout of 5G technology and is prepared to provide any assistance requested to resolve concerns quickly and to avoid safety issues, disruptions, and reductions in service," said Amber Greene, a spokesperson for the Port Authority, which operates Kennedy and LaGuardia.

Caroline B. Smith, a spokesperson for the Town of Islip, said officials are continuing to monitor the situation at MacArthur Airport. "ISP doesn’t expect any adverse impacts at this time," Smith said.

The showdown between two industries and their rival regulators — the FAA and the Federal Communications Commission, which oversees radio spectrum — threatens to further disrupt the aviation industry, which has been hammered by the pandemic for nearly two years.

With Lorena Mongelli