US Transportation Secretary Seeks Additional Funding for ATC Modernization
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary, Sean Duffy, is advocating for more funding to complete the modernization of the air traffic control (ATC) system. Speaking at an industry gathering in Washington, D.C., Duffy highlighted the need for additional resources beyond the $12.5 billion already appropriated by Congress in the One Big Beautiful Bill of July 2025. This funding is primarily allocated for physical upgrades, such as replacing copper wire connections, installing new radios, and updating radar systems. However, Duffy emphasized the necessity of further investment in software upgrades to transition the National Airspace System (NAS) into a digital framework. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and its partners have made significant progress, including replacing nearly half of the 5,400 copper connections and installing new terminal flight data management systems at several control towers. Despite these advancements, the full ATC overhaul is projected to cost over $30 billion. 
