View all text of Chapter 447 [§ 44701 - § 44748]
§ 44721. Aeronautical charts and related products and services
(a)Publication.—
(1)In general.—The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration may arrange for the publication of aeronautical maps and charts necessary for the safe and efficient movement of aircraft in air navigation, using the facilities and assistance of departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States Government as far as practicable.
(2)Navigation routes.—In carrying out paragraph (1), the Administrator shall update and arrange for the publication of clearly defined routes for navigating through a complex terminal airspace area and to and from an airport located in such an area, if the Administrator decides that publication of the routes would promote safety in air navigation. The routes shall be developed in consultation with pilots and other users of affected airports and shall be for the optional use of pilots operating under visual flight rules.
(b)Indemnification.—The Government shall make an agreement to indemnify any person that publishes a map or chart for use in aeronautics from any part of a claim arising out of the depiction by the person on the map or chart of a defective or deficient flight procedure or airway if the flight procedure or airway was—
(1) prescribed by the Administrator;
(2) depicted accurately on the map or chart; and
(3) not obviously defective or deficient.
(c)Authority of Office of Aeronautical Charting and Cartography.—Effective October 1, 2000, the Administrator is vested with and shall exercise the functions, powers, and duties of the Secretary of Commerce and other officers of the Department of Commerce that relate to the Office of Aeronautical Charting and Cartography to provide aeronautical charts and related products and services for the safe and efficient navigation of air commerce, under the following authorities:
(1) Sections 1 through 9 of the Act entitled “An Act to define the functions and duties of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and for other purposes”, approved August 6, 1947 (33 U.S.C. 883a–883h).
(2) Section 6082 of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (33 U.S.C. 883j).
(d)Authority.—In order that full public benefit may be derived from the dissemination of data resulting from activities under this section and of related data from other sources, the Administrator may—
(1) develop, process, disseminate and publish digital and analog data, information, compilations, and reports;
(2) compile, print, and disseminate aeronautical charts and related products and services of the United States and its territories and possessions;
(3) compile, print, and disseminate aeronautical charts and related products and services covering international airspace as are required primarily by United States civil aviation; and
(4) compile, print, and disseminate nonaeronautical navigational, transportation or public-safety-related products and services when in the best interests of the Government.
(e)Contracts, Cooperative Agreements, Grants, and Other Agreements.—
(1)Contracts.—The Administrator is authorized to contract with qualified organizations for the performance of any part of the authorized functions of the Office of Aeronautical Charting and Cartography when the Administrator deems such procedure to be in the public interest and will not compromise public safety.
(2)Cooperative agreements, grants, and other agreements.—The Administrator is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements, grants, reimbursable agreements, memoranda of understanding and other agreements, with a State, subdivision of a State, Federal agency, public or private organization, or individual, to carry out the purposes of this section.
(f)Special Services and Products.—
(1)In general.—The Administrator is authorized, at the request of a State, subdivision of a State, Federal agency, public or private organization, or individual, to conduct special services, including making special studies, or developing special publications or products on matters relating to navigation, transportation, or public safety.
(2)Fees.—The Administrator shall assess a fee for any special service provided under paragraph (1). A fee shall be not more than the actual or estimated full cost of the service. A fee may be reduced or waived for research organizations, educational organizations, or non-profit organizations, when the Administrator determines that reduction or waiver of the fee is in the best interest of the Government by furthering public safety.
(g)Sale and Dissemination of Aeronautical Products.—
(1)In general.—Aeronautical products created or maintained under the authority of this section shall be sold at prices established annually by the Administrator consistent with the following:
(A)Maximum price.—Subject to subparagraph (B), the price of an aeronautical product sold to the public shall be not more than necessary to recover all costs attributable to: (i) data base management and processing; (ii) compilation; (iii) printing or other types of reproduction; and (iv) dissemination of the product.
(B)Adjustment of price.—The Administrator shall adjust the price of an aeronautical product and service sold to the public as necessary to avoid any adverse impact on aviation safety attributable to the price specified under this paragraph.
(C)Costs attributable to acquisition of aeronautical data.—A price established under this paragraph may not include costs attributable to the acquisition of aeronautical data.
(D)Continuation of prices.—The price of any product created under subsection (d) may correspond to the price of a comparable product produced by a department of the United States Government as that price was in effect on September 30, 2000, and may remain in effect until modified by regulation under section 9701 of title 31, United States Code.
(2)Publication of prices.—The Administrator shall publish annually the prices at which aeronautical products are sold to the public.
(3)Distribution.—The Administrator may distribute aeronautical products and provide aeronautical services—
(A) without charge to each foreign government or international organization with which the Administrator or a Federal department or agency has an agreement for exchange of these products or services without cost;
(B) at prices the Administrator establishes, to the departments and officers of the United States requiring them for official use; and
(C) at reduced or no charge where, in the judgment of the Administrator, furnishing the aeronautical product or service to a recipient is a reasonable exchange for voluntary contribution of information by the recipient to the activities under this section.
(4)Fees.—The fees provided for in this subsection are for the purpose of reimbursing the Government for the costs of creating, printing and disseminating aeronautical products and services under this section. The collection of fees authorized by this section does not alter or expand any duty or liability of the Government under existing law for the performance of functions for which fees are collected, nor does the collection of fees constitute an express or implied undertaking by the Government to perform any activity in a certain manner.
(5)Crediting amounts received.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, amounts received for the sale of products created and services performed under this section shall be fully credited to the account of the Federal Aviation Administration that funded the provision of the products or services and shall remain available until expended.
(Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1202; Pub. L. 106–181, title VI, § 603(a), Apr. 5, 2000, 114 Stat. 150; Pub. L. 106–424, § 17(a), Nov. 1, 2000, 114 Stat. 1888; Pub. L. 118–63, title XI, § 1101(o), May 16, 2024, 138 Stat. 1414.)