Department of Transportation February 21, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The 2005 edition of the Federal Radionavigation Plan (FRP) has been published and is available for comment. All comments, concerns, and suggestions regarding the current policies and plans in the 2005 FRP will be considered in formulation of the 2007 FRP. The policies in the 2005 FRP focus on transition to GPS based services, recognizing the need to maintain backup navigation aids and provide redundant radionavigation service where required. The FRP is the official source of radionavigation policy and planning for the Federal Government, as directed by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 (10 U.S.C. 2281(c)). It is prepared jointly by the U.S. Departments of Defense (DoD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and Homeland Security (DHS) with the assistance of other government agencies. This edition of the FRP updates and replaces the 2001 FRP and covers common- use radionavigation systems (i.e., systems used by both civil and military sectors). Systems used exclusively by the military are covered in the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) Master Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Plan (MPNTP). The FRP includes the introduction, policies, operating plans, system selection considerations, and research and development sections. The companion document entitled Federal Radionavigation Systems (FRS) contains information on government roles and responsibilities, user requirements, and systems descriptions, and is published separately from the FRP. The FRS is periodically updated as necessary.

The Department is eliminating its rule that currently prohibits each airline that owns, controls, or operates a computer reservations system (``CRS'' or ``system'') from denying system access to two or more carriers whose flights share a single designator code and discriminating against any carrier because the carrier uses the same designator code as another carrier. The Department has determined that this rule is no longer necessary. This action is consistent with the Department's decision at the end of 2003 to eliminate its comprehensive rules governing system operations, 14 CFR part 255.

This amendment amends Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, addition of new obstacles, or changes in air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.