A Study of the Economic Impact of Selected Communications Alternatives, Present System Definition.

摘要

This report provides a description of the present FAA communications system. The data base described herein will be incorporated in a communications cost model being developed for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by ARINC Research Corporation. The economic data presented were obtained primarily from three sources: (1) the Aviation Cost Allocation Study Working Paper No. 2 (Office of Policy Review, DOT, 1972) for one-time facilities and equipment (F and E) costs; (2) the Airways Facilities Maintenance Cost Srudy (Project Memorandum: PPA FP-604, 1976) for operation and maintenance (O and M) costs; and (3) the DECCO Circuit File for recurring leased costs. Defining such a comprehensive communcations cost data base was complicated by the fact that there is no clear definition within the FAA of what constitutes communications. For the purposes of the present cost-modeling effort, however, it is convenient to classify costs into two groups: (1) traditional FAA communications services, including Air/Ground, Ground/Ground, Remote Link, Weather Net, AFTN, Service B, Computer B, and a miscellaneous category of additional communications functions; and (2) services in which some (incidental) communications is required for the functioning of basic FAA systems, viz., air traffic control, surveillance, and navigation.