Early last week, AT&T and Verizon Communications agreed to buffer zones around 50 airports to reduce the risk of 5G-related disruption from potential interference to sensitive aircraft instruments such as altimeters. The two companies also agreed to delay deployment of their their 5G plans for two weeks, averting an aviation safety stand-off.
The FAA's list includes airports in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Detroit, Dallas, Philadelphia, Seattle and Miami.
The FAA said the list does "not necessarily" mean that low-visibility flights cannot occur at airports that are not among the initial 50. AT&T and Verizon, which won nearly all of the C-Band spectrum in an $80bn auction last year, declined to comment when invited by Reuters.
The FAA subsequently renewed its warnings that, despite the agreement, 5G wireless service could still disrupt flights, saying "even with the temporary buffer around 50 airports...