FAA grounds all flights across the U.S. due to air traffic control communications problems

First reported by Gizmodo at Thu 7:12 PM · 14 outlets in all

1. Al Jazeera8hFAA ground stop lifted: Why were US flights grounded, and what’s next?The FAA says nationwide ground stop disrupting thousands of US flights was caused by a telecommunications outage.
2. Wired(subscription required)10hThe FAA Nationwide Ground Stop Is OverThe five-hour ordeal ended Friday evening. Planes will be allowed to fly again, but the effects of the stoppage will be felt throughout the weekend.
3. Scientific American(subscription required)11hFAA grounds all U.S. flights days after expanding its AI air traffic systemNational ground stops of this kind are exceedingly rare
4. NY Post13hFAA launched new AI ‘SMART’ tool to all air route traffic control centers just days before nationwide ground stopA new AI-supported air traffic system was rolled out to all of FAA’s control centers three days before an extremely rare ground stop halted planes across the US Friday, according to the agency.
5. The Register13hAll US flights grounded by FAASafety reasons and unspecified communications issue cited
6. Fast Company13hFAA grounds all flights in the U.S. until further notice: Reports cite air traffic control outage
7. AP13hFAA grounds all flights across the U.S. due to air traffic control communications problems
8. CNN13hRichard Quest explains why FAA air traffic issues are grounding flights across the US
9. TechCrunch14hUS government grounds all flights across the United States ‘due to extraordinary circumstances’A spokesperson for the FAA told TechCrunch that it issued the ground stop "following communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers," which manage the airspace across the United States.
10. PBS NewsHour14hFAA grounds all flights at U.S. airports due to air traffic control communications problemsThe nation's top homeland security official attributed the problem to a telecommunications outage and said there was no indication yet of a nefarious act.
11. Techmeme14hThe FAA lifts its over four-hour nationwide ground stop for US airports caused by "communication issues affecting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers" (Alex Fitzpatrick/Axios)
12. Washington Examiner14hFAA imposes nationwide ground stop on all flightsThe Federal Aviation Administration halted all flight departures nationwide Friday afternoon due to a “rolling frequency outage” affecting facilities that monitor planes in the air. The cause remained unclear Friday, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Friday evening that investigators were looking into it, but suggested that a telecommunications issue caused the disruption. AIR
13. Guardian24hFlights grounded at all US airports due to air traffic control ‘communication issue’, transport secretary says – liveSean Duffy says technicians from Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the issueSign up for the Breaking News US emailIn other tech-related news, the Microsoft outage is still going. The longest in the company’s history. My colleagues are covering the latest and how it’s affecting millions and pretty much every industry …As I noted earlier, the calls for Howard Lutnick to appear before lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been answered.
14. Gizmodo34hThe FAA Is Rolling Out Its AI Air Traffic Tool NationwideThe FAA has reassured the public and airlines that SMART only suggests routes and doesn't affect air safety.