House votes to renew FAA authority for 6 months

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a bill temporarily renewing authorization for the Federal Aviation Administration while lawmakers consider whether to take responsibility for air traffic control away from the government and place it under the direction of a nonprofit corporation.

The six-month extension was passed by voice vote Monday. The bill now goes to the Senate.

The temporary extension provides a window for congressional action on a larger aviation policy bill. Congress typically renews the FAA's authorization every four to six years, using the bills as an opportunity to address a wide range of aviation issues. The most recent authorization is due to expire Wednesday.

Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman, has said he intends to introduce a "transformational" reauthorization bill that will spin off air traffic control, thus removing it from the uncertainties of the congressional budgeting process that have hobbled the FAA's air traffic modernization effort.

FULL story at link.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/a65087d7a2714dbd942988a089ebc894/house-votes-renew-faa-authority-6-months

[davidpdx]

1. Great, now they are trying to privatize the FAA

What is next the DoD?

[Scruffy1]

2. it might follow the U.S. Postal Service model.

The postal service was spun off many years ago. Before then congress never funded it adequately, wages were low and it couldn't keep up with the mail volume. The change involved a lot of capitalization in the form of automation and allowing the workers to unionize. This was done under Nixon.

[mwooldri]

3. Yet Congress controls the USPS's pursestrings.

I know of no other company - private or public - that is required to fund its pension liabilities for a whole bunch of people they've yet to hire.

I suppose if the non profit corporation for air traffic control remains owned by the government then that will be okay. It does open a path to a sell off of air traffic control.

[groundloop]

4. I'm convinced their ultimate goal is for-profit privatized air traffic control

There are already a number of contractor run control towers in the system, and in my experience those facilities give worse service than facilities staffed by FAA employees.

[bluevoter4life]

5. Let's be realistic

In the good ol' US of A, there is no such thing as "not-for-profit". The ultimate goal IS to privatize ATC. Our union is fighting that possibility right now, at least in it's current form (57% of voters, as of 2 weeks ago, do NOT support privatization. And why should they?) Federal job security was all but secure 15 years ago. Thanks to the fringe, anti-union, rabid right wing, we are now nothing more than pawns in their sick games. I have written a number of responses over the last few years as to why private ATC is a bad idea but if I need to elaborate I can do so.