That's MY understanding. They want to know AIRCRAFT location and for those big companies who are planning/hoping/betting to fly BVLOS Autonomously this makes sense as the aircraft may not be in constant contact with the Ground Control Station at all times.
Good point, up until now I thought that reporting from the controller should be sufficient, but in the eyes of the FAA, if the controller loses contact with the AC and/or there is a flyaway, then the AC location is unknown.
I’m not opposed to letting the FAA and other UAS, GA & Commercial pilots to know where I’m flying as I think it would be beneficial to all pilots. The issues I have are:
1. I don’t know how the FAA can prevent the general public from getting the info because it becomes a matter of public record.
2. The added expenses to my phone data plan for the amount to data that will be transmitted.
3. 5G coverage better be available EVERYWHERE since it seems like the AC won’t be allowed to fly without data being sent (I fly in areas where only 4G is available).
4. Although I don’t fly for emergency purposes, there should be a bypass for emergency response teams in the event that 5G coverage is knocked out or overloaded during a disaster.
I realize I’m just pointing out several problems