AOPA Sees Momentum Build on ADS-B Privacy Bill

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has been working to build momentum for a bill to prohibit the use of ADS-B data for fee collection, noting the issue has become even more urgent as the U.S. Congress eyes potential universal mandates for ADS-B In equipage. Rep. Robert Onder (R-Missouri) introduced the Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act (PAPA, H.R.4146) in June as reports mounted about pilots facing fees that were generated based on their ADS-B data.

“ADS-B data should never be used for accessing a pilot’s personal information or for being used as a cash register. It should be used for its intended purpose—to give pilots situational awareness to help avoid mid-air collisions and for controllers to create airspace efficiencies,” said James Coon, senior v-p of government affairs and advocacy for the association. 

Coon noted the ADS-B mandate debate on Capitol Hill, but said use of the technology for fees undermines the intended safety goal. He pointed out that PAPA has generated support from top safety officials, state legislatures, airports, companies, and “hundreds of thousands of pilots” and said, “It’s time to address this situation.”

On the state level, the Florida legislature passed a similar bill, SB 422. Montana last May became the first to ban ADS-B-based fees, and states including Arizona, Oklahoma, and Minnesota have considered similar legislation.

“It’s also important to point out that none of these bills—at the federal or staate level—would prevent an airport from charging ‘necessary and appropriate’ landing fees,” Coon stressed. “Anyone claiming that is just spreading misinformation. They simply block the use of this safety-enhancing tool to collect them.”

While pleased with state progress, he added that the U.S. needs a uniform policy. “Despite the state-level momentum, a patchwork solution isn’t enough to make the skies safer for all of us—only Congress can fully resolve this problem,” said Coon.

The legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives has generated support from airports in several states, the association noted.  AOPA also pointed to recent testimony of NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy before the Senate Commerce Committee that the practice of using ADS-B information for fees should be prohibited, emphasizing that the technology is a safety tool.

“There is no question that ADS-B has been a game-changer for general aviation pilots,” said AOPA Air Safety Institute senior v-p Mike Ginter. “While we’re in one of the safest periods for general aviation in our nation’s history, there is a lot of concern out there that the continued use of ADS-B to charge fees would reverse that trend.”