Changing the rules

Current rule
CASR Part 171 – Aeronautical telecommunication service and radio navigation service providers

CASR Part 171 prescribes the regulatory requirements and standards for the approval of organisations that provide, operate, and maintain aeronautical telecommunications used for air traffic services and radio navigation services used for air navigation. This is a completely new set of regulations governing the operations of the sole service provider, Airservices Australia.

As well as regulating the current sole provider, Part 171 was developed to establish the regulatory standards to govern the entry and certification of other prospective providers into this industry. At this time, the regulations restrict the eligibility to apply to be an approved provider to Airservices Australia, or an organisation providing a service in cooperation with, or by an arrangement with, Airservices Australia.

The Part requires service providers to comply with the standards of ICAO Annex 10 Aeronautical Telecommunications to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Who Part 171 affects

  • Airservices Australia (currently the exclusive provider of aeronautical telecommunications and radionavigation services); and
  • Prospective providers of aeronautical telecommunications services.

To a lesser extent:

  • The aviation community; and
  • Users of services, particularly IFR pilots using aeronautical radionavigation services.

Key proposals

Requirements have been introduced for the regulation of services that support the provision of air traffic services, or navigation services provided to pilots, these being broadly defined as the following:

  • Aeronautical broadcasting services (radio broadcast services for the transmission of information relating to air navigation);
  • Aeronautical fixed telecommunication network (a world-wide system of fixed circuits provided for the exchange of messages and/or digital data between aeronautical fixed ground stations);
  • Aeronautical mobile communication services (the ground stations of the air/ground radio services used for air traffic services);
  • Aeronautical radionavigation services (navigation aids used by instrument-rated pilots, including the enroute aids, and the precision and non-precision approach aids); and radar systems used for air traffic control purposes;
  • Telecommunication systems that process or display air traffic control data for use by air traffic services provided under CASR Part 172.
 
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