By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters), The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that they are in direct negotiations with the telecom industry regarding its concerns about safety and aviation related to the use of 5G spectrum for wireless communications.

Steve Dickson, FAA Administrator, stated that they are currently having productive discussions. He spoke at an event held in Washington. It remains to be determined what mitigations will result, whether they are adjustments in deployment or actions within the aviation industry.

Earlier this month, AT&T (NYSE:) and Verizon Communications (NYSE) announced that it would delay commercially launching C-band Wireless Service from December 5, to January 1,

November 2nd, FAA bulletin to operators, manufacturers and pilots alerted them that possible interference from 5G deployments with radio altimeters or other sensitive electronics in aircraft may need to be addressed.

FAA bulletin stated that operators must be ready for interference from 5G transmissions or other technology to cause safety equipment to fail.

CTIA, a wireless trade association, stated in a letter addressed to the White House that “C-Band5G spectrum has been deployed in almost 40 countries and planes land safely each day without evidence of interference.”

CTIA asked Biden to reject any additional calls for C-Band 5G delays. It is vitally important to ensure that aviation safety remains intact. C-Band 5G operation does not pose a threat to aviation safety.

A directive on airworthiness is under consideration by the FAA. Dickson indicated that airlines must be notified at the earliest 30 days.

He stated that the industry requires some time for adjustments to any requirements they will impose on it. They must allow time for pilots to adjust their flight planning or get more information.

Boeing (NYSE 🙂 Co. Airbus SE, (OTC :), U.S. pilots and airlines have urged their administration to help “aviation and telecommunications industry reach acceptable mitigations.” They added that it “will take significant time… to ensure they meet the FAA’s robust safety requirements.”