# FAA Modernization Questions and Data Kit

Version 1.0, November 14, 2026. From jwatte.com, companion to the post "The FAA Wants $50 Billion More. Keep the Old Network Too." at https://jwatte.com/blog/faa-50-billion-air-traffic-control-keep-legacy-network/

This kit works on its own. It holds twelve questions with the fact behind each one, the public data requests behind every contract figure in the post, a reading guide to three numbers people mix up, a plain English glossary, a checklist for replacing any network or phone system without a blackout, and the sources with read dates. All times are UTC. Where we did our own arithmetic, we say so and show it.

This is information, not legal, financial, engineering or security advice. Mentions of companies and agencies are nominative fair use. No affiliation or endorsement is implied.


## Part 1. Twelve questions to ask

Use these with a member of Congress, an FAA official or a reporter. Each has the one fact that makes it fair, its source, and what a real answer looks like.

**1. What caused the November 13, 2026 ground stop, and when will the root cause analysis be published?**
Fact: On November 14 FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said: "When we have this root-cause analysis complete we will share it with you." Source: The Hill, November 14, 2026.
You have a real answer when: a dated written report names the device, the change made to it, the time, and why the problem spread to other centers.

**2. Was the router that started the flood old or newly installed, and what model was it?**
Fact: CBS News, citing unnamed senior government sources, reported Cisco 600 series routers made between 2001 and 2006. Secretary Duffy said on November 14 that the fault was not yet determined. Sources: CBS News; The Hill, November 14, 2026.
You have a real answer when: a named official gives the model, the install date and the configuration change record.

**3. Was the change on November 13 approved in advance, at what hour, and was there a tested way to undo it?**
Fact: Duffy said a contractor was moving lines from copper to fiber at a remote site. GAO warned in September 2026 that schedule pressure can lead to skipping or compressing testing. Sources: CNBC and Fox Business, November 14, 2026; GAO-26-107992.
You have a real answer when: you see the change ticket with its approval, time window and rollback plan.

**4. What does the $50 billion buy, line by line?**
Fact: No breakdown has been published and no bill for $50 billion was found. The written request was $30.1 billion. Sources: Nextgov and The Hill, November 13, 2026; Reuters via WHBL; S.5572.
You have a real answer when: a written table adds up to the full amount.

**5. How much is for the network, how much for buildings, and how much for airports?**
Fact: Of the $30.1 billion written request, $18 billion is airports and $2 billion is towers and terminal facilities, so $20 billion is buildings and airports (our arithmetic: 18 plus 2 equals 20; 20 divided by 30.1 equals 66.4 percent). Source: S.5572 text.
You have a real answer when: the network, buildings and airports are separate lines with separate votes.

**6. Which companies received the money obligated from the 2025 account?**
Fact: USAspending shows Treasury account 069-2025/2029-1308-000 with $12,520,000,000.00 available, $266,936,902.72 obligated in fiscal 2025 and $2,984,183,561.77 in fiscal 2026. The public endpoints we used do not show which companies received those dollars. Source: USAspending federal accounts endpoint, read November 14, 2026.
You have a real answer when: a list of awards and amounts reconciles to those account totals.

**7. Why did yearly obligations on the legacy network contract rise from $386,026,353.61 in fiscal 2023 to $1,171,985,532.39 in fiscal 2026?**
Fact: That is 3.04 times (our arithmetic: 1,171,985,532.39 divided by 386,026,353.61). The data does not split conversion work from ordinary service. Source: USAspending spending over time, FTI orders.
You have a real answer when: the FAA splits each year's FTI money into service, conversion and other work.

**8. What will the new network cost to refresh in years 5, 10 and 15?**
Fact: GAO said the FAA's phase one estimate does not include government costs, most operations and maintenance, or any of phase two. Network vendors publish up to five years of hardware support after a product stops selling. Sources: GAO-26-107992; Cisco, Juniper and Arista end of life policies.
You have a real answer when: a published life cycle cost estimate includes refresh, with years.

**9. Who will own the new network, its configurations and its spare parts?**
Fact: On November 14 Duffy said "L3Harris actually owns that network" and named AT&T, Verizon and Lumen as builders of the new architecture. Source: Fox Business, November 14, 2026.
You have a real answer when: the contract clauses on ownership, data rights, configurations, spares and exit are public.

**10. Why was the AT&T network work not competed, and when will the full contract be settled?**
Fact: USAspending lists the AT&T vehicle 693KA826D00016 as not competed, with a $74,300,000.00 ceiling. Nextgov reported the FAA said a new competition would take at least 22 months. Sources: USAspending; Nextgov, August 14, 2026.
You have a real answer when: the justification is published and a date is set for the full award.

**11. Who will independently assess security before any cutover?**
Fact: GAO reported that this program runs under a blanket waiver from nearly all of the FAA's acquisition rules, and that the waiver lists security reviews among the requirements that add time. DOT's information security program was rated not effective, with 45 open recommendations. Sources: GAO-26-107992; DOT Inspector General QC-2025-049.
You have a real answer when: a named independent assessor, scope, date and public summary exist.

**12. What fallback will remain when the last copper circuit is gone, and has it carried live traffic?**
Fact: The May 2025 FAA plan describes no fallback network kept after the transition. The FAA already keeps a minimum network of ground navigation beacons as a backup to satellite navigation. Sources: DOT plan, May 2025; Federal Register, July 26, 2016.
You have a real answer when: you get a list of facilities, the fallback path for each, and the dates of live drills.


## Part 2. Reproduce every contract figure yourself

### On the website

1. Go to https://www.usaspending.gov/ and choose Search, then Award Search.
2. Under Award ID, paste one of the IDs below, or open the award page directly at https://www.usaspending.gov/award/ followed by the generated ID.
3. On an award page, read "Obligated amount," "Outlayed amount" and "Potential award amount" as three separate numbers. For a contract vehicle (an IDV), the money sits on its orders: open the Orders tab.
4. For yearly totals, use Advanced Search, set Awarding Agency to Federal Aviation Administration, Award Type to Contracts, and the time period, then use the Spending Over Time view by fiscal year.
5. For the 2025 money, open the Federal Account page for 069-1308, "Facilities and Equipment, Federal Aviation Administration," and look for the Treasury account 069-2025/2029-1308-000.

Generated IDs used in the post:
* Legacy network, FTI: CONT_IDV_DTFA0102D03006_6920
* Largest FTI order: CONT_AWD_693KA821F00222_6920_DTFA0102D03006_6920
* FENS, Verizon: CONT_IDV_693KA823D00010_6920
* FENS, AT&T: CONT_IDV_693KA826D00016_6920 and its order CONT_AWD_693KA826F00278_6920_693KA826D00016_6920
* Integrator, Peraton: CONT_IDV_693KA726D00003_6920
* Radars: CONT_AWD_693KA726C00051_6920_-NONE-_-NONE- (Raytheon) and CONT_AWD_693KA726C00050_6920_-NONE-_-NONE- (Indra)
* Voice switches: CONT_IDV_693KA826D00002_6920 (Rohde and Schwarz) and CONT_AWD_693KA825C00011_6920_-NONE-_-NONE- (Frequentis)
* Radios: CONT_AWD_DTFAWA12C00040_6920_-NONE-_-NONE- (General Dynamics Mission Systems)

### Through the public API

No key is needed. We ran each request below once on November 14, 2026, between 20:23:07 and 20:43:31 UTC. All returned HTTP 200 and the same figures as the research pull at 20:00 to 20:14 UTC. (Our first attempt at the four POST requests sent an empty body by mistake and got errors; resent with the bodies shown, all four returned 200.)

Request 1. Legacy network totals across its 13 orders. Read child_award_total_obligation ($7,623,291,915.86) and child_award_total_outlay ($3,066,319,058.70).

```
curl -s "https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/idvs/amounts/CONT_IDV_DTFA0102D03006_6920/"
```

Request 2. Legacy network obligations by fiscal year (the full series is listed below).

```
curl -s -X POST "https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/search/spending_over_time/" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"group":"fiscal_year","filters":{"award_ids":["693KA821F00222","DTFA0102D03006CALL0001","DTFA0102D03006CALL0016","DTFA0102D03006CALL0002","DTFA0102D03006CALL0010","DTFA0102D03006CALL0004","DTFA0102D03006CALL0015","DTFA0102D03006CALL0018","DTFA0102D03006CALL0017","DTFA0102D03006CALL0011","DTFA0102D03006CALL0006","DTFA0102D03006CALL0012","DTFA0102D03006CALL0008"],"agencies":[{"type":"awarding","tier":"subtier","name":"Federal Aviation Administration","toptier_name":"Department of Transportation"}],"award_type_codes":["A","B","C","D"],"time_period":[{"start_date":"2007-10-01","end_date":"2026-09-30"}]}}'
```

Request 3. Funding accounts on the largest FTI order. Read the 069-1308 row ($316,401,624.37).

```
curl -s -X POST "https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/awards/accounts/" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"award_id":"CONT_AWD_693KA821F00222_6920_DTFA0102D03006_6920","limit":100,"page":1,"sort":"total_transaction_obligated_amount","order":"desc"}'
```

Request 4. Verizon FENS totals. Read child_award_total_obligation ($202,058,078.27). The ceiling ($3,998,104,895.00) is base_and_all_options on the award record.

```
curl -s "https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/idvs/amounts/CONT_IDV_693KA823D00010_6920/"
curl -s "https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/awards/CONT_IDV_693KA823D00010_6920/"
```

Request 5. AT&T FENS vehicle and its one order. Read base_and_all_options ($74,300,000.00) and total_obligation ($74,300,000.00).

```
curl -s "https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/awards/CONT_IDV_693KA826D00016_6920/"
curl -s "https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/awards/CONT_AWD_693KA826F00278_6920_693KA826D00016_6920/"
```

Request 6. Peraton integrator totals. Read child_award_total_obligation ($277,823,318.79).

```
curl -s "https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/idvs/amounts/CONT_IDV_693KA726D00003_6920/"
```

Request 7. Top FAA contract recipients, fiscal 2008 to 2026. Read name and amount.

```
curl -s -X POST "https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/search/spending_by_category/recipient/" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"filters":{"agencies":[{"type":"awarding","tier":"subtier","name":"Federal Aviation Administration","toptier_name":"Department of Transportation"}],"award_type_codes":["A","B","C","D"],"time_period":[{"start_date":"2007-10-01","end_date":"2026-09-30"}]},"category":"recipient","limit":40,"page":1}'
```

Request 8. All FAA contract obligations by fiscal year.

```
curl -s -X POST "https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/search/spending_over_time/" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"group":"fiscal_year","filters":{"agencies":[{"type":"awarding","tier":"subtier","name":"Federal Aviation Administration","toptier_name":"Department of Transportation"}],"award_type_codes":["A","B","C","D"],"time_period":[{"start_date":"2007-10-01","end_date":"2026-09-30"}]}}'
```

Request 9. The 2025 money. In "children," find code 069-2025/2029-1308-000 and read budgetary_resources_amount, obligated_amount and gross_outlay_amount.

```
curl -s "https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/federal_accounts/069-1308/?fiscal_year=2025"
curl -s "https://api.usaspending.gov/api/v2/federal_accounts/069-1308/?fiscal_year=2026"
```

What the results showed, so you can compare:

Legacy network (FTI) obligations by fiscal year:
* 2008: $223,158,207.99
* 2009: $231,085,742.76
* 2010: $222,511,814.49
* 2011: $263,827,000.88
* 2012: $229,187,653.79
* 2013: $281,826,873.02
* 2014: $317,527,938.47
* 2015: $240,502,570.96
* 2016: $369,325,778.79
* 2017: $282,510,179.91
* 2018: $329,407,528.10
* 2019: $352,362,050.63
* 2020: $364,026,435.74
* 2021: $376,399,212.34
* 2022: $312,757,999.86
* 2023: $386,026,353.61
* 2024: $459,041,647.84
* 2025: $918,037,659.65
* 2026: $1,171,985,532.39

These 19 years sum to $7,331,508,181.22 (our arithmetic, adding the 19 amounts above). The lifetime total of $7,623,291,915.86 is higher because the search tool cannot serve years before fiscal 2008.

All FAA contract obligations by fiscal year (selected): 2008 $3,471,466,840.91; 2016 $4,889,801,750.13; 2020 $3,979,313,926.72; 2023 $4,880,219,414.04; 2024 $5,157,673,269.37; 2025 $6,034,097,529.88; 2026 $9,864,569,672.91.

Other replacement awards, as recorded (obligated; ceiling):
* Radar replacement, Indra Air Traffic, 693KA726C00050, 2025 to 2030: $385,813,839.95; $397,144,174.35
* Voice switch letter contract, Frequentis USA, 693KA825C00011, not competed, 2025 to 2026: $593,614,334.79; $593,614,334.79
* Radios, NEXCOM Version 3, Indra Air Traffic, IDV 693KA824D00016, 2024 to 2034: $147,208,477.96 across 9 orders; $244,718,654.00
* Legacy voice switch support, L3Harris, IDV DTFAWA07C00014: its order DTFAWA07C00014CALL0001 shows $345,951,577.78 obligated; vehicle ceiling $1,033,839,756.00

A warning about one record: the FTI contract's ceiling fields are unreliable. Its orders together exceed its stated ceiling, and one order shows a potential value of $108,853,073,269.98. Do not quote a ceiling for FTI from this data.

The 2025 law, P.L. 119-21, section 40003, all 14 lines:
1. Telecommunications infrastructure modernization and systems upgrades: $4,750,000,000
2. Radar systems replacement: $3,000,000,000
3. Runway safety technologies, lighting and surface surveillance: $500,000,000
4. Enterprise Information Display Systems: $300,000,000
5. Weather observing systems, cameras and stations: $80,000,000
6. 49 U.S.C. 44745, other than line 5: $40,000,000
7. Construct a new air route traffic control center: $1,900,000,000
8. Center realignment and consolidation: $100,000,000
9. Terminal radar approach control recapitalization and consolidation: $1,000,000,000
10. Unstaffed infrastructure sustainment and replacement: $350,000,000
11. Section 961 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024: $50,000,000
12. Section 619 of that Act: $300,000,000
13. Section 621 of that Act and remote towers at untowered airports: $50,000,000
14. Controller training technologies: $100,000,000

Sum, our arithmetic: $12,520,000,000. The post's "nine other lines" are lines 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, which sum to $1,370,000,000 (our arithmetic: 300 + 80 + 40 + 100 + 350 + 50 + 300 + 50 + 100 = 1,370 million).


## Part 3. Reading guide: obligated, outlays, ceiling

Three numbers describe the same contract. Mixing them up is the most common mistake in coverage of federal spending.

**Obligated.** Money the government has legally committed to the contract so far. Think of the work orders you have signed with a contractor. It can go up when new orders are signed and down when money is taken back. This is the best single number for "how much has this company been given to do."

**Outlays.** Money actually paid out of the Treasury. Think of the checks that have cleared. Outlays lag obligations, sometimes by years. On USAspending, outlay data comes from agency account reports that start in fiscal 2017, so older contracts show outlays that are too low.

**Ceiling, or potential value.** The most the contract allows if every option is used. Think of a credit card limit. It is not money spent and it is not money promised. A $4 billion ceiling with $200 million obligated means the government has room to spend much more, not that it has.

Three habits that prevent mistakes:
* Never add a ceiling to an obligation. They measure different things.
* For a contract vehicle (an IDV), the money sits on its orders. Read the order totals, not the vehicle record alone.
* Never add up several contracts without listing which ones and showing the sum. Two records can describe the same money; the Peraton integrator has both a vehicle and a companion contract record with the same $1.5 billion ceiling.


## Part 4. Plain English glossary

**Analog.** A signal that varies smoothly, like the groove on a vinyl record.

**Digital.** A signal sent as numbers, like music stored on a phone.

**Copper.** Cable that carries electricity. It can carry analog or digital signals.

**Fiber.** Cable that carries light. It carries far more than copper and does not corrode.

**Circuit.** A connection reserved for one conversation for as long as it lasts, like a private road between two buildings.

**Packet.** A small envelope of data that shares the road with everyone else's and finds its own way, like a letter in the mail.

**TDM, time division multiplexing.** A circuit method that gives each conversation a regular time slot on a shared line, like people at a table speaking in turn. It is digital. Phone companies are retiring it.

**IP, internet protocol.** The internet's addressing system. A device with an IP address can be reached, managed and updated across the network, which is useful and also what makes it reachable by attackers.

**Router.** A device that connects networks and decides where each packet goes next, like a postal sorting center.

**Switch.** A device that connects equipment within one site, like the hallways of an office.

**Voice switch.** In air traffic control, the system that connects a controller's headset and buttons to the right radios and phone lines.

**Legacy network.** Our term for the older layer: fixed circuits, analog voice radio and equipment with no IP address.

**Obligation, outlay, ceiling.** See Part 3.

**Prime contractor.** The company that holds the contract with the government and answers for the work, including work by its subcontractors.

**Integrator.** A prime contractor hired to coordinate many other contractors and programs. For this program the FAA chose Peraton.

**IDV, indefinite delivery vehicle.** A contract that sets terms and a ceiling, with money added later through individual orders.

**End of sale, end of support, end of life.** The maker stops selling a product, then stops fixing it, then stops supporting it at all. For major network makers, hardware support runs up to five years after end of sale.

**FTI.** FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure, the network the FAA contracted in 2002, run by Harris, now L3Harris.

**FENS.** FAA Enterprise Network Services, the replacement network program, awarded to Verizon in 2023, with AT&T brought in during 2026.


## Part 5. Migration without a blackout: a checklist

For any organization replacing a network or phone system. Each line has a "done when."

1. Write down what the old system carries, site by site. Done when: you have a list of every line, circuit and service, with what depends on it.
2. Write down who owns each piece. Done when: every device and circuit has an owner, and you know which ones your provider owns.
3. Get your configurations and passwords in your own hands. Done when: current configurations and admin credentials are stored where you control them, and you have tested that they restore.
4. Keep spares for anything you cannot buy next day. Done when: there is a spare on the shelf, or a written plan for getting one.
5. Pick one site to go first. Done when: one site runs on the new system for a full busy period with no change elsewhere.
6. Plan the way back before you start. Done when: the rollback steps are written and have been rehearsed on that first site.
7. Never cut over at peak hours. Done when: every cutover is booked in your quietest window and approved by the person who owns the outcome.
8. Keep the old path alive until the new one has proven itself. Done when: the new system has run through your busiest season, and the old one was available the whole time.
9. Keep a small fallback that shares nothing with the new system. Done when: you can make calls and reach your key services with the main system unplugged, and you have tried it.
10. Budget for the refresh, not just the purchase. Done when: the cost to replace the new equipment in year five is in the budget.
11. Ask your provider what happens when equipment reaches end of support. Done when: you know the end of sale and end of support dates for every device you depend on.
12. Write the contact list for a bad day. Done when: every person on it has a phone number that does not depend on the system you are replacing.


## Part 6. Sources and read dates

All reads on November 14, 2026, UTC, unless noted. "Browser" means checked in a desktop browser.

Event and statements
* FAA command center advisories 111, 120, 1 and 5: https://www.fly.faa.gov/adv/adv_otherdis?adv_date=11132026&advn=111 (read 20:07 to 20:10)
* FAA general statements: https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements (browser, 20:12)
* Nextgov, November 13: https://www.nextgov.com/modernization/2026/11/legacy-tech-issue-led-faas-nationwide-ground-stop/417232/ (browser, 19:58 to 20:02)
* CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/faa-issues-nationwide-ground-stop/ (browser, 19:58 to 20:02)
* The Hill, November 13: https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/6220399-duffy-billions-air-traffic-ground-stop/ (browser, 19:58 to 20:02)
* The Hill, November 14: https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/6220783-faa-ground-stop-what-to-know/ (browser, 20:02 to 20:12)
* CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/14/faa-ground-stop-flights-resume-delays.html (browser, 20:02 to 20:12)
* Fox Business: https://www.foxbusiness.com/fox-news-air-space/who-l3harris-federal-contractor-sec-duffy-says-may-have-caused-faa-outage (browser, 20:02 to 20:12)
* Nextgov, August 14: https://www.nextgov.com/modernization/2026/08/faa-brings-t-network-modernization-program/415417/ (browser, 20:02 to 20:12)
* Reuters via WHBL: https://whbl.com/2026/11/13/white-house-urges-congress-to-provide-30-1-billion-for-aviation-reform/ (read 19:59 to 20:03)

Law, bills and plans
* P.L. 119-21: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-119publ21/html/PLAW-119publ21.htm (re-read 20:25:07)
* S.5572, Modern Skies Act: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119s5572is/html/BILLS-119s5572is.htm (re-read 20:25:09)
* DOT and FAA plan, May 2025: https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2025-05/Brand%20New%20Air%20Traffic%20Control%20System%20Plan.pdf (browser, 20:10 to 20:20)
* FAA fact sheet, December 4, 2025: https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/brand-new-air-traffic-control-system-bnatcs-fact-sheet (browser, 20:12)
* FAA Modern Skies: https://modernskies.faa.gov/ (browser, 20:10 to 20:20)

Spending data
* USAspending API: https://api.usaspending.gov/ (research pull 20:00 to 20:14; re-run 20:23)

Audits
* GAO-26-107992: https://files.gao.gov/assets/gao-26-107992.pdf (read November 13; re-checked 20:24)
* DOT Inspector General, FAA information security quality control review QC-2025-049: https://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/default/files/library-items/Quality%20Control%20Review%20of%20the%20Independent%20Auditor's%20Report%20on%20the%20Assessment%20of%20DOT's%20Information%20Security%20Program%20and%20Practices_9.30.25.pdf (read 20:09)

Life cycle and backup
* Cisco end of life policy: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/eos-eol-policy.html (re-read 20:24:56)
* Juniper end of life policy: https://www.juniper.net/support/pdf/eol/990833.pdf (read by 20:09:59)
* Arista end of life policy: https://www.arista.com/en/support/product-documentation/five-year-end-of-life-policy (read 20:09 to 20:10)
* Federal Register, VOR Minimum Operational Network, July 26, 2016: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2016-07-26/html/2016-17579.htm (re-read 20:25:00)