The United States will provide between USD3.8 billion and USD5.7 billion in rebates to help airlines and other aircraft operators replace radio altimeters with models resistant to 5G interference, after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the use of 160MHz of Upper C-band spectrum for wireless services by July 2027.

Consequently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requiring aircraft operating in the US to be equipped with interference-tolerant radio altimeters, with the FCC also adopting technical safeguards, including limits on 5G transmission power and tower heights, to protect aviation operations. Under the FAA's final rule, scheduled passenger airlines must complete the retrofit programme by December 30, 2030, while all other affected operators have until October 31, 2034.