§44517 Program to permit cost sharing of air traffic modernization projects

Summary

The Secretary may run a grant program to pay for up to 10 eligible projects each fiscal year that improve aviation safety and make the air transportation system work better by encouraging non‑Federal investment in key air traffic control equipment and software. The Federal share of any project can be no more than 33 percent, and the rest must come from non‑Federal sources, which can include revenues under section 40117. No single project can get more than $5,000,000 in Federal funds. The program is paid for with amounts appropriated under section 48101(a). Eligible project: equipment or software for the Nation’s air traffic control system that the FAA Administrator approves and that improves safety, efficiency, or mobility (examples include airport navigation aids, automation tools, or en route tracking tools). Project sponsor: a major user of the national airspace system, as the Secretary decides (for example, a public‑use airport or a joint venture with air carriers). A sponsor may transfer, without payment, grant‑purchased items to the FAA if the Administrator agrees and the items meet FAA operation and maintenance criteria. The Administrator will issue advisory guidelines for the program; those guidelines do not have to follow the formal rulemaking steps in subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 5.