ADS-B Data Being Used by Airports for Landing Fee Collection Triggers Safety-Commercial Conflict — NTSB Chairman Personally Testifies in Opposition, If AOPA Legislation Succeeds It Will Reshape US General Aviation Airport Fee Models

The AOPA-backed bill to ban ADS-B data use for fee collection is gaining critical momentum: NTSB Chairman Homendy explicitly supported the ban at the Senate Commerce Committee, Florida has already passed similar legislation, with multiple states following. AOPA's core argument is that ADS-B is fundamentally a safety tool (enhancing situational awareness), and using it for commercial billing will discourage pilot voluntary equipment adoption, reversing general aviation safety improvement trends. If passed at the federal level, airports relying on ADS-B data for identification and billing — such as KPTK/KPDK/KFFZ — would be forced to rebuild fee collection infrastructure, potentially slowing landing fee expansion in the short term. This represents a fundamental tension between safety regulation and airport fiscal needs. Confidence: ★★ (NTSB Chairman congressional testimony + AOPA official position + state legislative precedent).