New Facility Could Help FAA Address ATC Staffing Woes

Modern voice switch technology would allow the agency to reallocate controller personnel without physically moving them.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 12:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford (fourth from left) attended the grand opening of Rohde & Schwarz USA’s $40 million, 87,000-square-foot voice switch manufacturing facility in Maryland. [Credit: FAA]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has opened a new $40 million manufacturing plant in Maryland to produce digital, internet-based voice switch systems (VoIP), central to its air traffic control modernization efforts.
These new VoIP systems will replace outdated analog communication interfaces, aiming to improve controller-pilot communication and enable dynamic reallocation of controllers to address resource shortages.
Part of the larger VoICE program, the FAA is progressing through a multi-wave deployment of these systems across its facilities, targeting completion by 2028, alongside upgrades to other critical infrastructure like fiber optic networks and radio sites.

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The FAA’s chronic air traffic controller (ATC) shortage is well documented despite the agency’s efforts to ramp up hiring. A $40 million, 87,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Frederick, Maryland, could help it reallocate those sparse resources where they are needed most.

The FAA on Tuesday announced the groundbreaking of the new facility, which will build digital, internet-based voice switch systems designed to help controllers better communicate with pilots and other facilities. Per the agency’s website, one advantage of replacing aging, analog voice switches with modern systems will be “more dynamic operations,” such as reallocating controllers to different sectors without physically moving them.