After 20 Years And $40 Billion, the FCC modernized nothing in Air Traffic Control, and the job still needs to be done. It's going to cost more the next time the govt tries... thought they aren't likely to succeed

A new government watchdog report out of the Trump administration casts down on fixing it simply through spending an additional $30 billion. 

 A new DOT Inspector General’s report looks at how badly the effort has been bungled.

NextGen was supposed to transform how planes navigate and communicate, making flights quicker, safer, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly.

NextGen was pitched to deliver $213 billion in benefits by 2025. Over time, the FAA reduced its expectations significantly. Now, they project just $36 – $63 billion in total benefits by… 2040, with only about $10 billion actually realized in the first 20 years of trying.

The FAA is launching a new modernization effort that at the outset is expected to cost more than $30 billion. But that effort so far doesn’t really address the FAA’s mistakes handling past upgrades.

In summary, the report paints a picture of systemic mismanagement, overly ambitious expectations, insufficient oversight, poor planning, and inadequate stakeholder engagement—all combining to derail the NextGen modernization effort and prompting the FAA to essentially restart with yet another major initiative.

https://viewfromthewing.com/after-20-years-and-40-billion-air-traffic-control-modernized-nothing-faa-is-doing-it-again/