[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 116 (Monday, June 17, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28123-28125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12685]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Docket No. FAA-2019-0264]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Requests for Comments; 
Clearance of a Renewal of an Information Collection: Automatic 
Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Rebate System

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
FAA invites public comments about its intention to request Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approval for a renewal of an information 
collection. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period 
soliciting comments on the following collection of information was 
published on April 12, 2019. The FAA has launched a rebate program to 
emphasize the urgent need for pilots to comply with Automatic Dependent 
Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) Out requirements ahead of the January 1, 
2020, compliance deadline. This program is defraying costs associated 
with the ADS-B equipment and installation for eligible general aviation 
(GA) aircraft, and helps ensure general aviation aircraft with ADS-B 
Out equipage.

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DATES: Written comments should be submitted by July 17, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on 
the proposed information collection to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. Comments should be 
addressed to the attention of the Desk Officer, Department of 
Transportation/FAA, and sent via electronic mail to 
[email protected], or faxed to (202) 395-6974, or mailed to 
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management 
and Budget, Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, 
DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gayle Thornton by email at: 
[email protected]; phone: 202-267-7344.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for FAA's performance; (b) the 
accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for FAA to enhance the 
quality, utility and clarity of the information collection; and (d) 
ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of 
the collected information. The agency will summarize and/or include 
your comments in the request for OMB's clearance of this information 
collection.
    OMB Control Number: 2120-0769.
    Title: Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Rebate 
System.
    Form Numbers: Information is collected via a website specific to 
the ADS-B Rebate program.
    Type of Review: Renewal of an information collection.
    Background: The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment 
period soliciting comments on the following collection of information 
was published on April 12, 2019 (84 FR 15036).
    On May 21, 2010, the FAA issued a final rule requiring Automatic 
Dependence Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out avionics on aircraft 
operating in Classes A, B, and C airspace, as well as certain other 
classes of airspace within the National Airspace System (NAS), no later 
than January 1, 2020 (75 FR 30160). ADS-B Out equipage is a critical 
step in achieving the benefits of NextGen, in that it enhances aircraft 
surveillance with satellite-based precision. When properly equipped 
with ADS-B, both pilots and controllers can see the same real-time 
displays of air traffic, and pilots will be able to receive air traffic 
services in places where not previously available.
    To meet this deadline for compliance, the FAA estimated that as 
many as 160,000 general aviation aircraft would need to be equipped 
with ADS-B Out. In developing the ADS-B Out final rule, the FAA assumed 
that these aircraft owners would begin equipping new aircraft with ADS-
B equipment in 2012, and begin retrofitting the existing aircraft in 
2013, to minimize costs associated with retrofitting outside of the 
aircraft's heavy maintenance cycle. In any given year, avionics 
installers are capable of completing approximately 35,000-50,000 
installations. In order to guarantee that general aviation aircraft 
that will operate in ADS-B airspace are equipped by the deadline, 
approximately 23,000 aircraft would have needed to equip each year 
beginning in early 2013. This would have ensured there would be a 
balance between the expected demand for avionics installations and the 
capacity of avionics installers. Owners of general aviation aircraft 
who are particularly price sensitive are postponing their 
installations. This trend demonstrates that there is a near-term need 
to accelerate equipage, to ensure that pilots, manufacturers, and 
retail facilities have adequate time and capacity to equip aircraft 
with ADS-B Out avionics. This rebate provided an incentive for early 
retrofitting and emphasized the urgent need for GA pilots compliance 
with ADS-B Out requirements.
    Section 221 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 
provided the FAA with the authority to establish an incentive program 
for equipping general aviation and commercial aircraft with 
communications, surveillance, navigation, and other avionics equipment. 
The FAA established the ADS-B Rebate Program to address the rate of 
general aviation equipage by incentivizing aircraft owners who are 
affected by the ADS-B Out requirements and are the most price sensitive 
to the cost of avionics and the associated installation. The ADS-B 
Rebate Program provides a one-time $500 rebate to an aircraft owner to 
defray some of the cost of an ADS-B Out system meeting the program 
eligibility requirements. The rebates are available on a first come 
first served basis.
    The FAA, with input from industry partners (Aircraft Electronics 
Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and General 
Aircraft Manufacturers Association), designed this rebate program 
targeting specific eligibility requirements for avionics, aircraft 
types, and aircraft owners. The eligibility requirements are as 
follows:
    Eligible Avionics--Technical Standard Order (TSO)-certified Version 
2 ADS-B Out system, purchased on or after June 8, 2016. Such equipment 
must have a TSO marking for TSO-C154c, or TSO-C166b, or both. Eligible 
ADS-B Out system equipment may have an embedded position source 
compliant with one of the following TSOs: TSO-C-145c (or subsequent 
versions), TSO-C146c (or subsequent versions), or may be connected to a 
separate position source compliant with TSO-C-145c (or subsequent 
versions) or TSO-C146c (or subsequent versions). Any separate position 
source must comply with the guidance published in FAA Advisory Circular 
(AC) 20-165B. ADS-B In/Out systems compliant with TSO-C154c, TSO-C166b, 
or both, are also eligible.
    Eligible Aircraft--Only U.S.-registered, fixed-wing single-engine 
piston aircraft first registered before January 1, 2016 are eligible 
for the program. This eligibility is determined via the FAA Civil 
Aircraft Registry. Program eligibility also requires permanent 
installation of new avionics equipment in a single aircraft in 
compliance with applicable FAA regulations and guidance material.
    Aircraft Owner--Program eligibility is limited to one rebate per 
aircraft owner. An aircraft owner means either a single individual 
owner or any owning entity (any legal ownership entity including but 
not limited to an LLC, corporation, partnership or joint venture) 
identified as the owner of the eligible aircraft in the FAA Civil 
Aviation Registry.
    Exclusions--All aircraft for which FAA has already paid or 
previously committed to upgrade to meet the ADS-B Out mandate. Software 
upgrades to existing equipment are not eligible. Aircraft that already 
have a Version 2 ADS-B Out system prior to the launch of the data 
collection system are not eligible. New aircraft produced after January 
1, 2016, are not eligible.
    For reimbursement under this program, the FAA Civil Aircraft 
Registry information regarding ownership is controlling. The rebate 
program uses the publically available database to determine eligibility 
requirements based on the aircraft information. The aircraft owner is 
responsible for ensuring that the FAA Civil Aircraft Registry 
information is accurate before a claim for the rebate is submitted; 
rebates will only be mailed to the registered owner and address as 
indicated in the Civil Aircraft Registry.
    To request a rebate, the applicant must provide via the program 
website a valid email address for official

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correspondence and notifications and aircraft-specific information such 
as the aircraft registration number, TSO certified equipment purchased, 
and scheduled installation date. Once the information is submitted, the 
FAA will validate eligibility for the program with the official records 
regarding aircraft ownership contained in the publically available 
Civil Aircraft Registry. Additionally, anyone requesting a rebate will 
need to accept legal notices electronically by acknowledging their 
agreement and acceptance and providing the name of the person 
submitting the information on the individual web application.
    Through the ADS-B Rebate Program, aircraft owners are permitted to 
reserve a rebate, validate their installation, and then claim their 
rebate through the ADS-B Rebate Program website. The program steps and 
timeline requirements are as follows:
    [1] Decide: The aircraft owner arranges for purchase and schedules 
installation of TSO-certified avionics for an eligible aircraft.
    [2] Reserve: Before avionics installation occurs, the aircraft 
owner must go to the ADS-B Rebate Program website to submit information 
for a rebate reservation. Upon successful submission, the system will 
generate an email with a Rebate Reservation Code. During the rebate 
reservation process, the eligible aircraft's information is validated 
against the FAA Civil Aircraft Registry, including ownership 
information. If there are discrepancies, the aircraft owner may 
continue with the reservation process; but before a valid Incentive 
Code can be obtained in step [5], the aircraft owner must ensure that 
the FAA Civil Aircraft Registry data for their eligible aircraft is 
corrected.
    [3] Install: TSO-certified ADS-B avionics are installed in the 
eligible aircraft.
    [4] Fly & Validate: Only after the prior steps are completed, the 
eligible aircraft must be flown in the airspace defined in 14 CFR 
91.225 for at least 30 minutes, with at least 10 aggregate minutes of 
maneuvering flight, per the guidance in AC 20-165B 
regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/
document.information/documentID/1028666, sections 4.3.2 and 4.3.2.3-
4.3.2.6 for Part 23 aircraft. After flight, the ADS-B data is used to 
generate a Public Compliance Report (PCR) and General Aviation 
Incentive Requirements Status (GAIRS) Report, which is how the 
performance of the eligible aircraft's ADS-B installation is validated. 
Note that it may be necessary to repeat this step more than once, until 
the GAIRS Report indicates PASS for all fields and provides an 
Incentive Code in the Rebate Status section. Once proper installation 
and operation of the ADS-B is validated the FAA will notify the 
applicant using the email address provided at the time of rebate 
request.
    [5] Claim: Within 60 days of the scheduled installation date, the 
aircraft owner gathers their Rebate Reservation Code (from step [2]) 
and their Incentive Code (from step [4]) and submits this information 
as well as their name and aircraft number via the ADS-B Rebate Program 
website to complete the claim for their rebate.
    The FAA is seeking comments from the public regarding the 
information we collect for the program and how we collect it. The 
information provided in this notice is solely to identify and collect 
information from the public on the potential burden to an individual 
that would result from this program.
    Respondents: Approximately 20,000 GA pilots.
    Frequency: Information is collected only during the times the user 
is submitting their reservation and claiming their rebate after proof 
of meeting the eligibility requirements.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: Approximately 6 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: Approximately 2,000 hours.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on June 12, 2019.
Ottilia McCoy,
General Engineer, NextGen Office of Collaboration and Messaging, ANG-M, 
Office of the Assistant Administrator for NextGen, Federal Aviation 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019-12685 Filed 6-14-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P