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Pilots, airports clash over ADS‑B data use as committee hears House Bill 571 privacy measure
Summary
House Bill 571 would ban using ADS‑B broadcast location data to bill light general‑aviation aircraft for landing fees. Pilots and aviation groups urged passage as a privacy and fairness measure; airport managers and municipal authorities opposed it, saying ADS‑B is public data and the bill would hinder efficient billing and local control.
The Senate Energy Committee heard hours of testimony on House Bill 571 on Feb. 18, a bill the sponsor described as a privacy and fairness measure to prevent third‑party billing of light general‑aviation aircraft using ADS‑B broadcast data.
Representative Shane Klakken, sponsor of HB 571, told the committee the measure was intended to stop third parties and airports from using automatic dependent surveillance–broadcast, or ADS‑B, transmissions to generate landing or other user fees for private aircraft weighing 9,000 pounds or less and operating under Federal Aviation Administration Part 91 general‑aviation rules.
Klakken said the bill aims to protect private pilots who equipped their aircraft with ADS‑B—at owner expense for safety—from what proponents described as unexpected or opaque billing. “We just want to keep the general‑aviation small aircraft owner out of this,” Klakken said.
Proponents included Jack Galt, who said ADS‑B was designed for safety and efficiency and that using it as a billing mechanism was a mis‑purpose. Tim Robertson, president of the Montana Pilots Association, described the bill as about “privacy and fairness,” and emphasized general aviation’s role in emergency services and statewide transportation. Private pilots and flying‑club representatives recounted equipment costs ranging from about $2,500 to $6,000 and urged the committee to protect pilots from retroactive commercial billing.
Airport operators and municipal authorities opposed the bill. The president of the Montana Airport Managers Association said the measure would remove a tool that allows small airports to operate efficiently, reduce staff burdens and recover operating costs. Daniel Reimer, general counsel for Flathead Municipal Airport Authority (owner/operator of Glacier Park International Airport), stressed that ADS‑B transmissions and aircraft registration are public domain and that airports currently rely on user fees and modern tracking to be financially self‑sufficient.
Airport representatives described varied local practices: some airports already exempt smaller aircraft from landing fees, others use ADS‑B and vendor services (including a vendor named Vector) to cross‑reference landing events with FAA registration and issue bills. Reimer said Glacier Park International received roughly 6% of operating revenue from property taxes in 2024 and 94% from user fees; he warned the bill could force airports back to less efficient paper processes.
Committee members asked operational questions about thresholds and prevalence. Witnesses testified ADS‑B is legally required for certain airspace and above 10,000 feet; the bill’s proposed carve‑out would apply to aircraft under 9,000 pounds operating under Part 91. A Montana Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division official confirmed the state owns 15 airports and said the majority of noncommercial aircraft in Montana operate below the weight threshold.
No committee vote was taken; the hearing closed after proponents, opponents and informational witnesses testified. Committee staff and members said they learned new operational details during the hearing and will weigh local‑control and privacy concerns before further action.
