The problem here was sort of ideal for falling through the cracks. The FAA is an executive administration ultimately organized under Dept. of Transportation. T

The problem here was sort of ideal for falling through the cracks. The FAA is an executive administration ultimately organized under Dept. of Transportation. The FCC is an independent executive agency overseen, ultimately, by Congress. As a result, neither org has unilateral authority to tell the other to go pound sand, nor do their up-org leadership (ultimately, the President v. Congress). Their inability to find a resolution that didn't leave American pilots floundering is reflective of the inability of the Legislative and Executive branches to work together in modern federal governance, in general. Expect more issues like this in the future.