[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16477]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       REFORM AND REAUTHORIZE FAA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Denham) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning because the House must 
continue its work to reform and reauthorize the FAA. We have got to 
pass H.R. 2997, the 21st Century AIRR Act.
  Thirty years ago--30 years ago--the FAA identified the need to 
modernize or upgrade the Nation's antiquated World War II era air 
traffic control system. This is a system, at the time, that used radar 
technology and paper strips for communications between controllers. 
They literally would take these paper slips and hand them from one 
controller to the next controller to the next controller as aircraft 
not only moved through the airwaves, but were moving through the 
airport systems.
  Now, over the last 30 years, Canada, Australia, and many in the EU 
have changed to this GPS system. We have got countries all across the 
globe going to GPS, or decades ago have already switched. It is when 
they go through our airspace, we still use this old radar technology.
  Now, during this time, we have upgraded GPS systems. We all carry 
around handheld devices that use GPS: the Wave app, Google app. There 
are many different mapping platforms that allow you to get through 
cities, towns, the countryside. If there is an accident, there is a 
delay, it allows you to get around it and move through so that we can 
actually have greater efficiencies on the road.
  But 30 years have gone by, and today, after spending $7 billion, the 
FAA still uses this outdated radar technology, moving from beacon to 
beacon, getting passed along as you travel across the United States. 
And, yes, our air traffic control system still passes these little 
pieces of paper from one to the next to the next. Oftentimes, if you 
travel around, you will go through areas where you are not captured by 
the radar at all, while other countries continue with this GPS system.
  This outdated air traffic control system negatively impacts the 
entire flying public. An outdated ATC means route inefficiencies, which 
means higher costs, which yields more congestion in our skies and 
sitting on our tarmacs.
  I would like to see a system where you don't leave the gate to go sit 
on the runway until you know that you actually have a slot and are 
moving into the air and have a direct flight to your point. But today, 
you will see many airlines that will sit you out on the tarmac waiting 
for a slot.
  More congestion is a direct factor of flight delays and canceled 
flights. The reforms in this bill will provide more on-time departures 
and arrivals and less canceled flights.
  This bill is for the average flier. It doesn't matter which airline 
you take, we ought to have an air traffic control system that serves 
them all with a GPS system that allows you to get from point A to point 
B without the time delays.
  This also has the Air Improvement Program fully funded, which 
actually increases the Airport Improvement Program from $3.3 billion to 
$4 billion. It has the ability to upgrade our airports.
  Mr. Speaker, I also served my country in the Air Force for 16 years. 
As a veteran, I know that national security comes first. The 21st 
Century AIRR Act does not jeopardize the interaction between the 
Department of Defense and air traffic control; in fact, it strengthens 
it. The Federal Government retains exclusive sovereignty and control of 
the airspace, and the President maintains critical authority to assume 
control of the airspace during emergencies in times of war.
  The time to bring up the bill, H.R. 3997, the 21st Century AIRR Act, 
is now. The public has waited way too long. We have been bypassed by 
other countries. If we can identify it 30 years ago that we had World 
War II technology, we ought to recognize it today and stop passing 
these little pieces of paper back and forth through our air traffic 
control systems.
  Let's upgrade our systems, let's create efficiencies, and let's get 
people moving across this country in an efficient manner where they are 
not sitting on tarmacs waiting for flight delays.

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