Federal Aviation Administration

===Next Generation Air Transportation System===
{{Main|Next Generation Air Transportation System#Criticism}}

A May 2017 letter from staff of the [[U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure|U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure]] to members of the same committee sent before a meeting to discuss air traffic control privatization noted a 35-year legacy of failed air traffic control modernization management, including NextGen. The letter said the FAA initially described NextGen as fundamentally transforming how air traffic would be managed. In 2015, however, the [[National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine|National Research Council]] noted that NextGen, as currently executed, was not broadly transformational and that it is a set of programs to implement a suite of incremental changes to the National Airspace System (NAS).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/2017-05-17_-_full_committee_ssm.pdf |date=May 12, 2017 |publisher=Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure |title=Committee Hearing on "The Need to Reform FAA and Air Traffic Control to Build a 21st Century Aviation System for America" |access-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-date=January 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120124201/https://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/2017-05-17_-_full_committee_ssm.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://transportation.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400893 |title=Latest Inspector General Report Underscores Need for Air Traffic Control Reform |access-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-date=December 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223140555/https://transportation.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400893 |url-status=live}}</ref>

More precise Performance Based Navigation can reduce fuel burn, emissions, and noise exposure for a majority of communities, but the concentration of flight tracks also can increase noise exposure for people who live directly under those flight paths.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://atwonline.com/air-traffic-management/faa-facing-backlash-over-noise-issues-created-pbn-flight-paths |title=FAA facing backlash over noise issues created by PBN flight paths |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021124915/http://atwonline.com/air-traffic-management/faa-facing-backlash-over-noise-issues-created-pbn-flight-paths |archive-date=October 21, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://aireform.com/a-closer-look-at-how-faa-is-tone-deaf-on-nextgen-noise-impacts/ |title=A Closer Look at How FAA is 'Tone-Deaf' on NextGen Noise Impacts |date=April 19, 2015 |access-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218185346/http://aireform.com/a-closer-look-at-how-faa-is-tone-deaf-on-nextgen-noise-impacts/ |url-status=live}}</ref> A feature of the NextGen program is GPS-based waypoints, which result in consolidated flight paths for planes. The result of this change is that many localities experience huge increases in air traffic over previously quiet areas. Complaints have risen with the added traffic and multiple municipalities have filed suit.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/affluentand-angryhomeowners-raise-ruckus-over-roar-of-overhead-planes-1530806379 |last=McLaughlin |first=Katy |date=July 6, 2018 |title=Affluent—and Angry—Homeowners Raise Ruckus Over Roar of Overhead Planes |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218185347/https://www.wsj.com/articles/affluentand-angryhomeowners-raise-ruckus-over-roar-of-overhead-planes-1530806379 |url-status=live}}</ref>