The Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday advanced legislation aimed at expanding situational-awareness equipment at federal contract air traffic control towers. The committee approved S. 3929, the Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act, by voice vote as amended, sending it to the Senate floor for consideration.
Introduced by Sens. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the bill calls for the FAA to acquire and install certified Airborne Position Reference Tools at contract towers that do not have Standard Terminal Automation Replacement Systems or comparable situational-awareness equipment. APRTs use ADS-B data to provide controllers with a display of aircraft operating in local airspace.
Contract Tower Equipment
According to the senators, more than 90 of the nation’s federal contract towers lack surveillance tools, leaving controllers at those facilities dependent on visual observations and radio communications. The legislation also calls for controller training on the equipment and provides authority for FAA funding of acquisition, installation and annual operating costs.
“Oregon’s small and regional airports are an important partner in keeping the flying public safe,” Merkley said in a statement. “Our simple bipartisan bill—which just cleared a key hurdle—will unlock resources for these airports to make critical safety upgrades if they need them, something we should all get behind.”
FAA Approval
Congress directed the FAA in its 2024 reauthorization legislation to allow situational-awareness technology at federal contract towers. The FAA subsequently approved the first APRT, which uses ADS-B information rather than a conventional radar feed, and the equipment has since been installed at several airports. The bill would also allow reimbursement for qualifying airports or towers that purchased certified systems before an FAA-funded installation.
It’s certainly about time that the system is installed in contract towers. I am based a KTUP, a 7000 ft runway with airline service to Nashville and Dallas, and a fair amount of small plane, private jet, and Columbus AFB training traffic. We are a long way from Memphis and Columbus radar, which means that radar alone cannot see traffic until it is a few thousand feet above KTUP. ADS-B would allow the contract tower to see traffic below the primary radar coverage essentially to the ground. Otherwise, the tower is just using radio communications and their eyes to see traffic in the class D airspace, which we all know has gigantic limitations.