The ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. Maria Cantwell (Washington) is expressing interest in expanding the scope of temporary flight restrictions (TFR) to include major events such as concerts.

“It has been brought to my attention that FAA is unable to grant temporary flight restrictions for major events such as concerts, even when they are held in venues were TFRs are regularly granted for sporting events,” Cantwell said in questions to FAA administrator nominee Steve Dickson. “These concerts often draw a similar and sometimes larger crowd than the sporting events that take place in these venues.”

Sporting event organizations may rely upon TFRs to maintain the safety of attendees, she said, while organizers of concerts are not able to have TFRs as another tool in their “massive undertaking to keep their patrons safe during an event.”

A TFR would not necessarily stop a bad actor, she acknowledged, but, “A TFR does help ensure that the airspace is clear of legitimate aircraft, and makes identifying the bad actors easier.”

She asked Dickson whether, if confirmed, he would work with her to find a method to expand the ability to use TFRs over major events. Dickson responded that TFRs typically are put in place when a federal law enforcement partner identifies a security threat. In the case of sporting events, Congress has explicitly required them.