/air_traffic/a76_process) contained misleading information from the FAA about the A-76 process
designed to identify government functions that can be contracted to private companies.
FAA says A-76 will not result
in the contracting out
of Flight Service Stations.
The facts:
Under A-76, services not identified as "inherently
governmental" can be contracted out. The Bush administration has already
identified air traffic control as not "inherently governmental." Flight
Service can be contracted out.
FAA says the FSS
functions in Alaska have been excluded from the A-76 process.
The facts:
Alaska has been excluded only from this year's A-76 review. Upon
completion, FAA can do what it wants to FSS in Alaska.
FAA says the cost of providing service to the pilot
is approximately $15 per contact.
The facts:
This is misleading. Many costs allocated to "Flight
Service Programs" do not directly pertain to the services provided by
the controllers. ASOS and AWOS, for instance. FAA's "cost" is also distorted
by including excessive overhead, like high-paid management positions.
FAA says current modernization plans are
behind
schedule and over budget.
The facts:
Many projects are now nearing deployment. They
will dramatically modernize the world of Flight Service. FAA
had funding to deploy two or three OASIS per month - but
they're only scheduling one.
FAA
itself agrees:
Contracting out will result in
Fee For Service
and will hurt the quality of the service provided.
An FAA 1996 study
said that the commercialization of
Flight Service would result in a "lower quality of service
and a fee for service."