FAA: FUNDING TIED TO MODERNIZATION

FAA: FUNDING TIED TO MODERNIZATION

The FAA must implement changes to the way it is funded before it
can afford to embrace the myriad technologies that are envisioned
for the Next Generation Air Transportation System, according to
senior FAA staffers. Appearing before the Senate aviation
subcommittee

(http://commerce.senate.gov/public/in...ing_ID=1 837),
Charles Leader, director of the Joint Planning and Development
Office, told committee members that the controversial system of
user fees and tax increases now under consideration by Congress
for FAA reauthorization is a key element of FAA modernization.
"Modernization and moving to NextGen is inextricably linked to
changes in the FAA's financing system," Leader said. "We need to
establish the financing of our current and future operations based
on actual costs and investment requirements that will realize
tangible benefits and increasing efficiency."

This is Bush double-speak for, "We need to wrest fiscal oversight away
from Congress, because The Reason Foundation and Bowing told us so,
and we will have to fund both the existing ATC/NAS systems, AND the
NextGen development and implementation for several years (decades?)."

General aviation groups and even the Government Accountability
Office -- have dismissed the need for a wholesale change in the way
the FAA is funded, saying there's plenty of money available under
the current system of ticket and cargo taxes and the existing fuel
tax levied on GA aircraft.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#194772
That's because they don't buy-in to the idea of abandoning
Congressional oversight of FAA spending, and they see the enormous
increase in the expense of collecting the funds if the existing system
is abandoned in favor of fee-based funding. Each operation will have
to be billed and accounted for. It's such a bogus proposal, that it
should be laughed right out of Congress.

On Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:36:07 GMT, Larry Dighera wrote:

saying there's plenty of money available under
the current system of ticket and cargo taxes and the existing fuel
tax levied on GA aircraft.

That's saying a lot given the FAA's talent for setting fire to the money
they were supposed to use to modernize the system.

--
Dallas