STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER BRENDAN CARR Re: Amendment of the Commission’s Rules to Promote Aviation Safety, WT Docket No. 19-140; WiMAX Forum Petition to Adopt Service Rules for the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS), RM-11793; Petition of Sierra Nevada Corporation for Amendment of the Commission’s Rules to Allow for Enhanced Flight Vision System Radar under Part 87, RM-11799; Petition of Aviation Spectrum Resources, Inc. for Amendment of Sections 87.173(b) and 87.263(a) of the FCC’s Rules to Allow Use of the Lower 136 MHz Band by Aeronautical Enroute Stations, RM-11818; Petition of Airports Council International-North America Regarding Aeronautical Utility Mobile Stations, RM-11832 The FAA’s NextGen initiative aims to modernize air travel by incorporating new technology into aircraft, especially around in-flight communication. NextGen includes Performance Based Navigation, which takes advantage of GPS signals to route planes more efficiently, saving time and fuel. NextGen’s Data Comm system allows pilots and air traffic controllers to communicate via text instead of by voice command, reducing the chance of misunderstandings and delays. And Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B, transmits each aircraft’s position, altitude, speed, and other information automatically so that traffic controllers and other aircraft can safely coordinate flight paths. I learned more about this last technology from a pilot in Louisville’s Police Department. Bryan Arnold is the chief of Louisville’s police helicopter division, with more than 20 years of service. When I joined him for one of his patrols above the city, he showed me some of the advanced communication technologies that allow him to coordinate with other law enforcement on the ground. With ADS-B, Bryan told me, air safety will be greatly improved by broadcasting, in real time, the exact position of every aircraft. But he also identified one way that this new technology could actually undermine public safety. Bryan noted that criminals can easily obtain this new location information and use it to determine when police helicopters, border patrol, or even military aircraft take off and then monitor their exact flight paths and operations. It is not difficult to imagine how criminals or foreign adversaries could take advantage of this new and easy access to location information to evade or undermine law enforcement activities, as well as national security. Indeed, the GAO issued a report last year that highlighted the security risks of openly transmitting flight and location data from DOD aircraft. It’s information that anyone can obtain from a number of publicly-accessible websites. Thankfully, the FAA is working on this issue. And time is of the essence, since all aircraft must comply with ADS-B by January 2020. I asked my colleagues to expand today’s Notice to seek comment on the steps we can take, if any, to support the FAA’s work to protect the security of law enforcement, public safety, and military operations as ADS-B comes online. And I want to thank my colleagues for agreeing to do so. I look forward to reviewing the record as it develops on this issue. And I want to thank the Wireless Bureau for its work on this Notice. It has my support.