,i  #aadth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dddi  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #c1 #bjaf  
,mr4 ,katko 7for himself and ,mr4       
,lipinski7 introduced the following     
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,transportation and       
,infrastructure  ,a ,,bill  ,to direct  
the ,secretary of ,transportation to    
establish a remote air traffic control  
tower pilot program4  #a4 ,remote air   
traffic control tower pilot program  7a7
 ,in general ,not later than #f months  
after the completion of a safety risk   
management panel conducted by the       
,federal ,aviation ,administration for  
the ,leesburg1 ,virginia project1 the   
,secretary of ,transportation shall     
establish a pilot program under which   
the ,secretary shall install and operate
 not more than #f remote air traffic    
control towers to assess the benefits of
 the technology of such towers4  7b7    
,requirement for operation ,before air  
traffic is actively controlled by a     

remote air traffic control tower at a   
participating airport1 the ,secretary   
shall complete a safety risk management 
process for the individual airport4  7c7
 ,application ,an operator of an        
eligible airport may submit to the      
,secretary an application to participate
 in the pilot program under this section
 before such date and containing such   
information as the ,secretary may       
require4  7d7 ,selection criteria  7#a7 
,selection of airports ,from among      
applications submitted under subsection 
7c71 the ,secretary may select for      
participation in the pilot program--    
7,a7 #a nonhub primary airport2  7,b7 #b
 reliever airports without existing air 
traffic control towers2  7,c7 #a primary
 airport for the purpose of augmenting  
the capabilities of an existing air     
traffic control tower2 and  7,d7 #b     
airports classified as local or basic in
 the national plan of integrated airport
 systems4  7#b7 ,applicant selection ,in
 carrying out the pilot program under   

this section1 the ,secretary shall--    
7,a7 in consultation with the exclusive 
representative certified to represent   
air traffic controllers under #gaaa of  
title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1        
establish a list of benefits of remote  
tower technology to the ,national       
,airspace ,system and criteria that     
facilities should meet in order to best 
achieve those benefits2 and  7,b7 select
 applicants for participation in the    
pilot program based on such criteria4   
7#c7 ,ability to alter airport selection
 ,if the ,secretary receives an         
insufficient number of applications1 the
 ,secretary may alter the site          
distribution in paragraph 7#a74  7#d7   
,deadline ,the ,secretary shall select  
airports for participation in the pilot 
program not less than #ij days after the
 date that the applications under       
subsection 7c7 are required to be       
submitted4  7#e7 ,participation in      
contract tower program ,an airport      
selected for participation under the    

pilot program shall be eligible for     
participation in1 and funding from1 the 
control tower contract program          
established under section #dgabd of     
title #di1 ,united ,states ,code4  7e7  
,asset classification ,a remote air     
traffic control tower and ancillary     
equipment installed with ,government    
funds pursuant to this section shall be 
considered an air navigation facility as
 defined in section #djajb of title #di1
 ,united ,states ,code4  7f7            
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7     
,eligible airport ,the term eligible    
airport means a public-use airport1 as  
defined in section #dgajb of title #di1 
,united ,states ,code4  7#b7 ,remote air
 traffic control tower ,the term remote 
air traffic control tower means a       
facility that-- 7,a7 is designed to     
provide the functions of an air traffic 
control tower for an airport without    
regard to whether the tower is located  
at such airport2 and  7,b7 receives from
 such airport1 through a secure network1

 high definition real-time images1      
sensor data1 and other data from        
relevant systems4  7g7 ,period of the   
pilot program ,the pilot program under  
this section shall terminate on the date
 that is #e years after the date of     
enactment of this ,act4