Biden Says 5G Delay Staves Off Air Travel Delays for Two Weeks
Biden Says 5G Delay Staves Off Air Travel Delays for Two Weeks
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden said an agreement between his administration and AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. to delay 5G service by two weeks means there won’t be disruptions to air travel during that period.
Biden said in a statement that the pact, reached Monday night, is “a significant step in the right direction.”
“This agreement ensures that there will be no disruptions to air operations over the next two weeks and puts us on track to substantially reduce disruptions to air operations when AT&T and Verizon launch 5G on January 19th,” Biden said.
The companies issued separate statements on Monday night, two days before their planned Jan. 5 launch, and one day after rebuffing a request for delay from U.S. transportation officials. The action came after a flurry of calls directed at the industry and the White House from aviation groups seeking a delay, and as airlines threatened legal action.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had been planning to issue hundreds of notices with specific restrictions for airport runways, heliports and other flight routes, which it said could cause significant disruptions to the aviation system.
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