December 16, 2025
Today, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing entitled, “The State of American Aviation”, with FAA Administrator Brian Bedford as the only witness. The hearing covered a variety of issues including Air Traffic Control modernization efforts, status of various FAA reauthorization provisions safety posture, workforce readiness, and safety one year after the fatal DCA mid air collision.
Key Issues:
Air Traffic Control Towers
Members repeatedly highlighted aging ATC tower infrastructure across the country, which continue to operate with decades old technology. While highlighting specific airports, including Gerald R. Ford International and Salt Lake City, the administrator noted the need for tower replacements or major refurbishments and specifically requested additional funding to address the backlog of tower replacement needs. He acknowledged slow progress tied to procurement hurdles, staffing shortages, and inconsistent funding cycles. Bedford emphasized that modernization will require moving beyond incremental fixes to full facility overhauls, including telecom upgrades, radar replacements, and cloud based compute layers. He estimated the FAA will need $14 billion for properties and facilities upgrades, as part of the $20 billion the administration is expected to request to complete ATC modernization, which would total $32 billion combined with the $12.5 billion already provided by Congress.
Digital and Remote Tower Technology
Several members express strong support for the use of digital or remote towers as a lower cost, scalable solution. Administrator Bedford reported progress deploying remote tower systems in Bartow and Winter Haven, Florida, with additional sites under evaluation. He highlighted that remote towers allow high definition camera arrays to expand controller visibility; supplemental support to overburdened physical towers; and new pathways for staffing retention by offering more flexible facility models. Members encouraged FAA to accelerate remote tower deployments, particularly for rural and territorial airports where modernization is cost prohibitive under traditional models.
Controller Staffing and Workforce Development
Controller staffing was raised by several members. Bedford indicated the FAA aims to hire 8,900 new controllers by 2028 but acknowledged chronic understaffing in major hubs, training bottlenecks at facilities operating above sustainable capacity and shutdown related disruptions that damaged morale and interrupted hiring pipelines. The administrator discussed expanding Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) programs, improvements to the hiring and retention process, and the need for improved medical certification processes, which FAA has begun modernizing with new technology. Members repeatedly stressed the need for consistent funding to avoid cyclical interruptions that degrade workforce stability.
ATC Modernization
The FAA was allocated $12.5 billion for the initial phase of ATC modernization and has already committed at least $6 billion toward these efforts. Administrator Bedford outlined a comprehensive modernization strategy that includes transitioning from copper to fiber optic networks (35% of which has already been completed), deploying digital voice switches and radios, and moving critical computing functions to the cloud. During the hearing, several representatives raised questions about the selection of Peraton as the prime integrator for the full ATC overhaul. Specifically, they expressed concerns about whether a private firm with limited experience in legacy FAA systems could deliver the project safely. In response, Bedford defended the procurement process, emphasizing that it was competitive, transparent, and based on Paraton’s strengths in digital and cloud integration. Members from both parties agreed that modernization is essential, but they cautioned that funding gaps and inconsistent appropriations cycles pose the greatest risks. They emphasized that the FAA must remain transparent and provide clear, measurable indicators of progress.
Noise
Members raised noise issues during the hearing, including the cumulative effects of increasing aviation, drone, and space launch activities. Specific worries centered on noise along congested corridors, especially in regions like New York/New Jersey, California, and Florida. Administrator Bedford emphasized that ongoing modernization efforts, including improved routing, digital radios, and updated procedures, can help reduce noise. He also noted that the FAA continues to review category changes and explore new models for engaging with affected communities.
2026 FAA Roadmap: People, Safety, Modernization
Administrator Bedford described the FAA’s Roadmap for 2026, which is structured around three main pillars. The first pillar focuses on people: addressing staffing shortages, improving training and human-factors integration, and ensuring predictable funding and support to boost morale. The second pillar emphasizes safety by enhancing near-miss tracking and mitigation, improving integrated safety processes and coordination among offices, and tackling issues identified by the DCA tragedy. The third pillar centers on modernization, which involves digitizing and upgrading air traffic control systems across all facility types, shifting computing functions to secure cloud environments, and deploying next-generation communications, navigation, and surveillance systems. Additionally, Bedford advocated for streamlining the rulemaking process by restructuring the Office of Rulemaking for greater oversight and responsiveness. He also endorsed the development of simple, transparent metrics dashboards so that Congress and the public can track progress.
Contract Towers
During today's session, Rep. Tracey Mann (R-KS) asked Administrator Bedford about the status of a USCTA-backed provision in the FAA reauthorization bill that requires DOT to request that the Department of Labor review the outdated wage determination for contract tower controllers and create a new wage determination for managers. The bill also requires DOT after consultation with DOL to issue a report to Congress by May 16, 2026.
Administrator Bedford told Rep. Mann that he relies on contract towers for his own personal flying, and he reiterated that they are "a tremendous resource, especially for our young pilots...." However, the Administrator indicated that he is not aware of the status of that provision in the FAA bill.
Clara Bennett, the USCTA Chair and Executive Director of the Boca Raton Airport Authority, raised the same wage determination issue with House Aviation Subcommittee staff and officials in the FAA Contract Tower office in separate meetings last week. She highlighted the need for the administration to complete that review as soon as possible in an effort to boost wages for controllers and managers.
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