[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 82 (Thursday, April 28, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25484-25486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09992]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Docket No.: FAA-2016-4756]


Reduction of Remote Communications Outlets Used by Flight Service 
Stations in the Conterminous United States

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed policy.

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SUMMARY: The FAA is proposing to reduce the number of radio frequencies 
used by flight service stations to communicate with aircraft in flight. 
Under the proposal, six hundred and sixty-six (666) remote 
communications outlets (RCOs) will be decommissioned. Frequencies 
especially designated for emergency or military use are not included in 
this proposal. Frequencies in the state of Alaska are also not included 
in this proposal.

DATES: Submit comments on or before June 27, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments identified by docket number FAA-2016-
4756 using any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for sending your 
comments electronically.
     Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30; U.S. 
Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room 
W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket 
Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 
New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
    Privacy: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments 
from the public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts 
these comments, without edit, including any personal information the 
commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the system 
of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at 
www.dot.gov/privacy.
    Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at 
http://www.regulations.gov at any time. Follow the online instructions 
for accessing the docket or Docket Operations in Room W12-140 of the 
West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington,

[[Page 25485]]

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan Wilkes, Manager, Flight Service 
National Efficient Streamlined Services (FSNESS) Initiative, Operations 
and Implementation, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence 
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-7771; Fax (202) 
267-6310; email [email protected]. Jeff Black, Quality Assurance 
Evaluator, Flight Services Program Operations; telephone (940) 584-
0409; email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Federal Aviation Administration maintains a network of over 
2,100 remote communications outlets (RCOs) throughout the conterminous 
United States, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The RCOs are used by its 
contract service provider, Lockheed Martin Flight Services (LMFS), to 
communicate with pilots in flight. Pilots can obtain weather briefings, 
file flight plans and receive numerous other services by using these 
frequencies.
    The frequency infrastructure currently in use was developed nearly 
50 years ago, with little or no modifications since. In 2005, LMFS took 
over flight service operations at 58 locations in the Conterminous 
United States (CONUS), Puerto Rico, and Hawaii. In doing so, it 
inherited a vast network of 2,162 frequencies used to provide a variety 
of services. For example, 347 frequencies are designated for emergency 
use only and 194 frequencies are designated for military use only. 
These 541 frequencies are not being considered for removal. The 
remaining 1,621 frequencies can be divided into two groups.
    (1) Remote communications outlets in which aircraft can contact a 
flight service station by transmitting and receiving on a common or 
discrete frequency, for example, 122.2, 122.5, etc. There are 1,223 
RCOs in the CONUS.
    (2) Frequencies that are co-located with navigational aids known as 
VORs in which aircraft can contact flight service by transmitting on a 
frequency (usually 122.1) and receiving on the appropriate VOR 
frequency. There are 398 VOR frequencies in the CONUS.
    The 1,621 frequencies cover a vast majority of the conterminous 
United States and include duplicate, overlapping and seldom used 
frequencies. Last year, FAA contracted the MITRE Corporation to study 
the areas covered by RCO and VOR frequencies for possible removal 
without significantly impacting the area of coverage. The study 
concluded that as many as 666 frequencies could be removed and still 
provide 99-100% coverage at 5,000 feet; 98-100% coverage at 3,000 feet; 
and 93-100% coverage at 1,000 feet.
    The FAA proposes to begin decommissioning 666 remote communications 
outlets in the Conterminous United States, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii in 
late 2017. Several types of frequencies are not considered a part of 
this proposal: Frequencies especially designated for emergency or 
military use; frequencies in the state of Alaska; and Ground 
Communications Outlets (frequencies used by pilots while still on the 
ground).
    By reducing radio coverage, the Agency estimates that it can save 
approximately $2.5 million annually in maintenance costs alone. 
Additionally, more savings will be realized once property leases are 
terminated and voice-switch communications infrastructure is decreased.
    By soliciting comment to this notice, the FAA seeks to address 
public concerns and will consider any comments in determining whether 
to change the policy.

Applicability

    A link to the frequencies proposed for decommissioning can be found 
here: http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/systemops/fs/media/RCO_Master_List.pdf.
    Also, a link to maps showing frequency coverage throughout the 
United States at various altitudes, with percentages of coverage can be 
found here: http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/systemops/fs/media/Radio_Reduction_Fed_Reg.pdf.

II. Additional Information

A. Comments Invited

    The FAA invites interested persons to participate in this notice by 
submitting written comments, data, or views. The agency also invites 
comments relating to the economic, environmental, energy, or federalism 
impacts that might result from adopting the notice in this document. 
The most helpful comments reference a specific portion of the notice, 
explain the reason for any recommended change, and include supporting 
data. To ensure the docket does not contain duplicate comments, 
commenters should send only one copy of written comments, or if 
comments are filed electronically, commenters should submit only one 
time.
    The FAA will file in the docket all comments it receives, as well 
as a report summarizing each substantive public contact with FAA 
personnel concerning this action. Before acting on this notice, the FAA 
will consider all comments it receives on or before the closing date 
for comments. The FAA will consider comments filed after the comment 
period has closed if it is possible to do so without incurring expense 
or delay. The agency may change this notice in light of the comments it 
receives.
    Proprietary or Confidential Business Information: Do not file 
proprietary or confidential business information in the docket. Such 
information must be sent or delivered directly to the person identified 
in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document, and 
marked as proprietary or confidential. If submitting information on a 
disk or CD-ROM, mark the outside of the disk or CD-ROM, and identify 
electronically within the disk or CD-ROM the specific information that 
is proprietary or confidential.
    Under 14 CFR 11.35(b), if the FAA is aware of proprietary 
information filed with a comment, the agency does not place it in the 
docket. It is held in a separate file to which the public does not have 
access, and the FAA places a note in the docket that it has received 
it. If the FAA receives a request to examine or copy this information, 
it treats it as any other request under the Freedom of Information Act 
(5 U.S.C. 552). The FAA processes such a request under Department of 
Transportation procedures found in 49 CFR part 7.

B. Availability of Documents

    An electronic copy of rulemaking documents may be obtained from the 
Internet by--
    1. Searching the Federal eRulemaking Portal (http://www.regulations.gov);
    2. Visiting the FAA's Regulations and Policies Web page at http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies or
    3. Accessing the Government Printing Office's Web page at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/.
    Copies may also be obtained by sending a request to the Federal 
Aviation Administration, Office of Rulemaking, ARM-1, 800 Independence 
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591, or by calling (202) 267-9680. 
Commenters must identify the docket or amendment number of this notice.
    All documents the FAA considered in developing this notice, 
including economic analyses and technical reports, may be accessed from 
the Internet through the Federal eRulemaking Portal referenced in item 
(1) above.


[[Page 25486]]


    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 20, 2016.
Steven Villanueva,
Acting Director of Flight Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-09992 Filed 4-27-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P