Key U.S. lawmakers urge AT&T, Verizon to delay some 5G deployments

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the House Transportation Committee and the head of an aviation subcommittee urged AT&T and Verizon Communications to delay some 5G deployments set for Wednesday around key U.S. airport runways.

Representative Peter DeFazio, the committee chair, and Representative Rick Larsen, who chairs an aviation subcommittee, said the Federal Aviation Administration and aviation industry must have "more time to thoroughly assess the risks of deployment in order to avoid potentially disastrous disruptions to our national airspace system."

Major passenger and cargo airlines on Monday urged the delay, warning of an impending "catastrophic" aviation crisis.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Himani Sarkar)