The Federal Aviation Authority again issued warnings of possible risks associated with the rollout of C-band Spectrum 5G wireless.

Earlier this week, as part of ongoing discussions, AT & T and Verizon agreed to adopt precautions similar to those adopted in France.

The carriers also agreed to again postpone the rollout of service until January 19th. The interim agreement gives all stakeholders more time to prepare. This is an extension from the original Jan. 5 date agreed to after the agency issued warnings in early November.

That extra two weeks may not be enough.

Why is 5G an issue?
5G wireless has the potential to affect sensitive aircraft instruments, such as radio altimeters. This could lead to flight cancellations, diversions, and delays. Besides risks to safety, these deviations threaten to further disrupt an already battered industry and thwart its fragile recovery.

What's France got that we don't?
The market in France is smaller, so the impact will be less than it could be here. Carriers have agreed to buffer zones around 50 US airports, similar to what they've done in France. However, those zones affect a much longer amount of critical flight time there than they would in the U.S. (96 seconds vs. 20). Further, the proposed towers will be 2.5 times more powerful in the US. France also requires antennae to be pointed downward, a law the US lacks.

For its part, the FAA is continuing to mitigate any risk to the flying public.

On its website, the agency stated:

"If there’s the possibility of a risk to the flying public, we are obligated to pause the activity, until we can prove it is safe," ... "Radar altimeters still must be proven safe in the overall U.S. 5G environment to fly into these airports, so we must take into account the higher signal strength when assessing safety and risk."