# Faulty router disrupted FAA systems after fibre upgrade work

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/work-to-replace-old-copper-wire-led-to-the-faas-ground-stop/
- Published: 2026-11-14T17:44:28+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T02:47:32+00:00
- Original publisher: The Verge
- Original article: https://www.theverge.com/transportation/1033898/faa-ground-stop-sean-duffy-faa-copper-wire
- Topics: Software

## Key points

- FAA ground stop followed a router disruption during a copper-to-fibre upgrade.
- More than 1,000 connection attempts every four to five seconds were reported.
- The cause remains under investigation as L3Harris supports the FAA.

## Summary

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a nationwide FAA ground stop on Friday followed work to replace outdated copper wire with fibre optic equipment at a remote facility. The newly installed router flooded other routers with connection attempts, disrupting radar feeds and communications with aircraft; the cause of the router problem remains unclear.

Duffy said possible causes included faulty hardware, a misconfigured router or contractor incompetence. He reported more than 1,000 connection attempts every four to five seconds and called on Congress to provide further funding for air traffic control modernisation. Contractor L3Harris said it had completed more than 70% of the planned conversion from copper to fibre and was supporting the FAA’s investigation.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.