I think this (the FAA involvement) stems from the previous rear fuselage issues, which was a safety issue, and the FAA is still directly overseeing that issue.

I think this (the FAA involvement) stems from the previous rear fuselage issues, which was a safety issue, and the FAA is still directly overseeing that issue. It sounds like the FAA have not restored Boeing's delegated authority for final airworthiness sign-off on new 787s due to not having accepting a new inspection plan for that issue yet. That would would explain why the FAA remains involved on an issue it does not consider to be a safety concern, especially as it implies there may be even more quality control issues than previously realized.