Something one could argue . . . . 'bout the government
GlobalNav's answer strikes me as quite very accurate. The respective "complex" or sometimes, "interagency complex" or just "interagency" surrounding each of these two disparate federal agencies are different in deeply rooted ways. Congressional staffs (primarily Committees) at senior levels, lobbying groups and lobbyists including but not only through the so-called revolving door, law firms and p.r. firms - like, different sub-sub-cultures of the Big Show that is Washington.
Probably everyone has read material from the wireless carriers attacking the supposed delay the aviation sector has caused by not innovating, upgrading, and otherwise facilitating the commercial interests of the wireless industry. Some of those attacks are polished and some just bitter snark, but their points are the same. If only running a national civil aviation sector were that easy, simple or matter-of-fact. .....
Wonder what the aviation professionals here would say to this: ask the wireless commercial interests to make a list of all the principal and second-tier entities and authorities which would have had to sign onto, and implement, a detailed technical plan to upgrade all avionics (and airport configs, to the extent it matters) so that no 5G interference is expected or possible within generally and widely accepted risk tolerances. And it's not too late to make their list, and get on with checkin' it twice . . . The diverse financial resources, Congressional backing or clout, technical fidelity or virtuosity, overall organizational readiness, and no doubt other descriptive factors of these would-be actors in a Big National Upgrade Plan.... they'd be all over the map, no? So to attack the aviation sector by saying 'HEY you shoulda been ready for this!!' is, as this SLF/atty sees it, highly dishonest -- and bad policy, as it significantly, perhaps even fundamentally, misunderstands the NAS and the aviation sector.
If a combination of Scoop Jackson, Wm. Winpisinger, and Melvin Belli suddenly appeared, isn't it obvious this hybrid figure would demand to know, 'are you gonna let the phone company push you around?' I mean, no offense to AT&T and/or Verizon . . . . . well, maybe a little.