Verizon and AT&T delay 5G rollout near airports after airlines express concerns

搜索

复制

Verizon and AT&T delay 5G rollout near airports after airlines express concerns

Transcript¹

The two telecom giants have agreed to limit the 5G rollout amid concerns that the high-speed wireless² service could interfere³ with safety equipment on some aircraft.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Verizon and AT&T are rolling out long-awaited 5G service across the country today, except near many airports. The two telecom giants agreed yesterday to limit the service amid concerns that 5G could interfere with safety equipment on some aircraft.

NPR's David Schaper reports.

DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE⁵: According to former federal aviation administrator⁶ Michael Huerta, 5G presents a problem for a critical navigational tool called a radio altimeter.

MICHAEL HUERTA: It's a piece of equipment onboard modern aircraft that enable aircraft to know their position relative to the ground. And this is important when you're dealing⁷ with an inclement-weather situation, where you may not have the visibility that you would have on a blue-sky day, in order to ensure that aircraft can land safely.

SCHAPER: About a year ago, the FCC auctioned⁹ off a segment of radio spectrum¹⁰ for 5G to Verizon and AT&T for tens of billions of dollars. That spectrum is next to the frequencies used by radio altimeters on planes and helicopters. And the FAA worries that 5G signals will interfere with older altimeters.

NYU electrical engineering professor Ted⁴ Rappaport, who heads the research center NYU Wireless, explains it this way.

TED RAPPAPORT: It's kind of like when the television sets would get interfered¹¹ with 30 or 40 years ago by a CB radio. Same kind of thing exists with radio altimeters in some of the older aircraft today.

SCHAPER: The FAA says the potential for such interference would make some aircraft altimeters useless. And the safety regulator warned it would restrict certain older aircraft from landing at certain airports. As a result, airlines say they'd be forced to cancel, reroute or delay hundreds of passenger and cargo¹² flights a day. They warned of catastrophic flight disruptions and that the nation's commerce will grind to a halt. But AT&T and Verizon have already agreed to delay deployment¹³ of 5G twice so the FAA could further study it. But wireless companies insist 5G towers will not interfere with aircraft altimeters, and some experts agree.

Cenk Gursoy is a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Syracuse University.

CENK GURSOY: In my opinion, there should not be that much of an interference because the separation between the two bands is substantial. It's not really - they not very close to each other.

SCHAPER: The wireless companies say 5G is deployed¹⁴ in about 40 other countries without aircraft interference problems. But in most of those places, the spectrum used for 5G is further away from aircraft radio frequencies. And 5G is operated at low power near airports, with transmitters pointed¹⁵ away from airplanes.

Gursoy says those solutions might work here.

GURSOY: They should be able to resolve this. I'm kind of puzzled that this has not been taken care of before.

SCHAPER: But there's a reason it hasn't, according to former FAA administrator Huerta.

HUERTA: This problem emerged largely because of, I think, a lack of effective communication between the FCC and the FAA before the spectrum auction⁸ was actually run at the end of 2020.

SCHAPER: The FCC approved the sale of the radio spectrum to Verizon and AT&T over the FAA's objections.

HUERTA: But we are where we are. And I think what really has to happen is very detailed¹⁶ technical analysis between the two industries and their regulators to ensure that 5G can be safely deployed across the U.S.

SCHAPER: Still, 5G service could lead the FAA to restrict flights at some airports, especially when there's bad weather. And a few international airlines have canceled some flights into the U.S. as a result.

David Schaper, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF MELODIESINFONIE'S "MEDITATION ON GOD")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

3 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

4 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

7 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

8 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

9 auctioned   

v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉，心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

11 interfered   

v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉

参考例句：

• Complete absorption in sports interfered with his studies. 专注于运动妨碍了他的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am not going to be interfered with. 我不想别人干扰我的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

13 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

14 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

15 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

16 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。