On December 8, the Wireless Telecommunication Bureau issued an advisory regarding the FAA streamlining the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) system, which identifies towers with extinguished or faulty lighting. “Under FCC rules, tower owners are generally required to notify the FAA within 30 minutes of discovering a lighting outage or malfunction, and they must take steps to repair the faulty lighting as rapidly as practicable. The planned change will enable tower owners to self-select the amount of time their NOTAMs remain active,” the advisory reads. This change will allow tower owners to self-select the repair deadline; however, every outage should be corrected as soon as possible, and the FCC and FAA will respond aggressively if they discover tower owners are abusing a system designed to protect aviation safety. “The change to the NOTAM process reflects the Commission’s commitment, shared with its Federal Agency partners, to update and rationalize the processes that FCC licensees must follow, particularly in the area of wireless infrastructure. Wherever possible and appropriate, the Commission is eliminating or reforming outdated requirements and processes,” according to the advisory. Read the entire advisory here.
Reader Interactions