The AP sanitized this story so very well. It's what they do.
CNN was actually less sanitary in their approach:
Here's what happened.
AT&T and Verizon turned on their national 5G networks this week (most of that "5G" signal you've been previously getting is not true 5G), activating 4,500 new towers. The FAA had to request they pause around key airports because they hadn't reviewed the publicly-available data (or informed airlines about the data) discussing how the signal might affect the radar altimeters of Boeing 777s and 787s due to similar frequencies being used.
On Tuesday, the cell providers agreed to delay the 5G rollout around big airports, but the FAA still freaked out, and on Wednesday told 55% of incoming air traffic that it couldn't land in America.
An insane scramble followed, forcing airlines around the world to cancel, delay, or divert flights coming into America. It was a fiasco.
But don't take my word for it.
Here's Tim Clark, the president of Emirates (one of the largest airlines in the world), absolutely eviscerating the American government (and specifically Transport Sec. Pete Buttigieg) for the disaster.
We were aware of a 5G issue. Okay. We are aware that everybody is trying to get 5G rolled out after all it's the super cool future of whatever it may be communication and information flow. We were not aware that the power of the antennas in the United States have been doubled compared to what's going on elsewhere.
We were not aware that the antenna themselves have been put into a vertical position rather than a slight slanting position, which then taken together compromise not only the radio altimeter systems but the flight control systems on the fly by wire aircraft. So on that basis we took that decision late last night to suspend all our services until we had clarity.
He then took aim at Mayor Pete:
We have evidence of letters being written to the Secretary of Transport in the US government alerting that group to what was likely to happen and its consequences.
And yet Mayor Pete's office didn't sound the alarm or inform the airlines.
I guess he was too busy spending two months on vacation last fall!
He was also too busy with birthday celebrations to address the fiasco, I guess, posting this last night:
So what did Tim Clark think about all this?
I'm glad you asked!
I need to be as candid as I normally am, and say this is one of the most delinquent, utterly irresponsible issue subjects, call it what you like, I've seen in my aviation career because it involves organs of government, manufacturers, science, etc.
It's almost like government doesn't do a good job controlling this whole "science" thing. Good thing it isn't trying to use science as a cudgel to kowtow its citizens into compliance in other areas. That would be bad!
Anyway, the problem has now apparently been resolved after the White House got AT&T and Verizon to delay the rollout of the 5G network.
Our 5G towers are apparently twice as powerful as other nations ('MERICA!), and they aren't pointed down like in those fufu European countries. The result is a lot more face-melting radiation being beamed into the skies.
Other airline CEOs were... not happy as well.
Anyway, I'm sure it's all fine and everything is great because we totally have a strong, quick-thinking, well-spoken, and wise president who leads these federal agencies, and he has surrounded himself with competent people who were appointed based on merit and skill instead of woke identity politics and intersectionality!
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