FAI TWR INSTITUTED NEW PROC REQUIRING ALL VEHICLES TO BE ON TWR FREQ FOR RWY ACTIVITY. NOT ALL ARPT VEHICLES HAVE THE FREQ AVAILABLE.

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ON JUNE/THU THE CTLRS AT FAI TWR WERE ADVISED BY WRITTEN NOTE THAT THE VEHICLES ON THE ARPT WOULD NOW BE USING TWR FREQ INSTEAD OF GND FREQ WHEN THEY NEED TO OPERATE ON THE RWYS. BEFORE THIS CHANGE; ALL VEHICLES WERE ON GND FREQ AND GND COORDINATED WITH LOCAL TO USE THE RWYS WHEN NEEDED. IT HASN'T GONE VERY WELL SO FAR BECAUSE: THE MAJORITY OF THE ARPT VEHICLES ARE NOT EQUIPPED TO USE THIS FREQ. THE VEHICLE OPERATORS WERE NOT GIVEN SUFFICIENT NOTICE OF THIS CHANGE AND THEY HAVE HAD A VERY HARD TIME GETTING UP SPD. THIS HAS CAUSED DELAYS FOR THE VEHICLES AND FREQ CONGESTION. VEHICLE OPERATOR TRAINING NEEDS TO BE CHANGED TO MEET THIS CHANGE; IT CAN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. THE VEHICLES ARE NOW EXPECTED TO CHANGE FROM TWR TO GND FREQ AS THEY ENTER AND EXIT THE TXWYS AND RWYS. THE VEHICLES ARE NOW FORCED TO STOP JUST OFF THE RWY TO SWITCH TO GND AND GET A CLRNC FOR THE TXWYS. THIS BLOCKS THE TXWYS AND INCREASES THE TIME THE VEHICLES SPEND ON THE CTLED SURFACES. ALTERNATIVELY LOCAL CAN COORDINATE FOR USE OF THE TXWYS BY THE VEHICLES; BUT THIS INCREASES THE WORKLOAD ON LOCAL. SINCE MOST OF THE VEHICLES CAN'T USE TWR FREQ; THE RWY MAY HAVE SEVERAL VEHICLES OPERATING ON IT; USING TWO DIFFERENT FREQS. THIS MEANS THAT NEITHER GND NOR LOCAL CAN RETAIN AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF THE SITUATION BECAUSE THEY BOTH ONLY HAVE ONE PIECE OF IT. THIS PROC SHOULD BE STOPPED UNTIL ALL THE VEHICLES CAN GET EQUIPPED; AND THE ARPT AND TWR CAN GET AN ARRANGEMENT TO ALLOW VEHICLES TO OPERATE ON THE TXWYS WITHOUT A CLRNC. DURING SNOW REMOVAL; THE WORKLOAD IS GOING TO SKYROCKET IF THIS ISN'T FIXED.