Cape Girardeau Airport unaffected by 5G controversy

Tuesday's decision by AT&T and Verizon to delay temporarily their 5G rollouts near certain airports amid concerns over possible flight disruptions will not impact Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, at least for now.

The giant telecom companies suspended implementing 5G wireless service near some airports. The rollout was scheduled for Wednesday, but was put on hold in some areas because of air carriers' concerns the 5G signal would interfere with aircraft altimeters, which may have resulted in the grounding of flights, potentially leaving thousands of Americans stranded by flight delays and cancellations and holding up delivery of certain goods.

In a statement, airport manager Katrina Amos said the City of Cape Girardeau-owned airport in northern Scott County will not be affected in the near-term by the planned deployment of 5G towers.

"Currently, CGI falls into the Partial Economic Areas (PEAs) in which the 5G C-band will not be rolled out until 2023," Amos told the Southeast Missourian.

PEAs are a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designation. Cape Girardeau Regional is currently No. 196 on the list of PEAs.

Air carriers that use the 440-passenger Boeing 777 were said to be concerned, according to reporting by National Public Radio, because the aircraft is particularly vulnerable to 5G signals.

Utah-based SkyWest, the air carrier serving Cape Girardeau since 2017, uses much smaller planes.

SkyWest utilizes CRJ 200 50-passenger jets under the United Express band for flights to and from Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

AT&T reported it had "temporarily deferred turning on C-Band transmitters within a two-mile radius of the airport runways specified by the Federal Aviation Administration," though the telecommunications company did not disclose the affected airports.

Verizon, in a separate statement, said it "voluntarily decided to limit our 5G network around airports."

Verizon's statement also did not detail the impacted airports.

Industry reaction

Airlines for America, a trade organization representing passenger and cargo carriers, filed an emergency request with the FCC late last year asking for a 5G rollout delay, citing concerns for airports such as John F. Kennedy Airport in New York and George Bush Airport in Houston.

Washington

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Steve Dickson also asked for a delay in both cellphone carriers' 5G rollout.

President Joe Biden commended both companies for the voluntary deferral of 5G.

"This agreement will avoid potentially devastating disruptions to passenger travel, cargo operations, and our economic recovery, while allowing more than 90 percent of wireless tower deployment to occur as scheduled," Biden said Tuesday. "This agreement protects flight safety and allows aviation operations to continue without significant disruption and will bring more high-speed internet options to millions of Americans."

Concern

"We are frustrated by the FAA's inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done, which is to safely deploy 5G technology without disrupting aviation services, and we urge it to do so in a timely manner," an AT&T spokesperson said.