The Federal Aviation Administration recently announced changes to the way it will distribute electronic aeronautical charting data. In an announcement posted on the agency website, the FAA said it will make the data available 24 hours before the charts' effective date, instead of the 15 days' advance release that had been standard. In addition, the agency plans to start charging for the previously free data.
Aviation associations are up in arms over the planned changes, primarily because of the widespread popularity and use of electronic flight bags and tablet-based flight planning applications in both the commercial and general aviation worlds. -Staff Report, FMI: FAA