America’s economy, public safety systems, and national security all depend on GPS. Yet today, the United States lacks a resilient complement or backup if GPS signals are disrupted. In her latest opinion piece for Broadband Breakfast, NextNav CEO Mariam Sorond explains why strengthening our nation’s PNT infrastructure should be guided by technical evidence, engineering, and a fact-based process, not politics.
Building a system-of-systems capable of delivering greater PNT resilience into America’s critical infrastructure is essential to ensure the continuity of the services our nation depends on.
“When the FCC initiated a Notice of Inquiry on PNT technologies, Chairman Carr called for “a whole-of-government approach” and said the “FCC is stepping up to do its part.” He has championed a system of systems and recently said, “we have to move quickly to support the private sector’s innovation and stand up of complementary and supplementary systems.” The Chairman has also said, “We want everyone with technology that could complement GPS to get a fair shot at any regulatory changes they might need.”
That last phrase matters because the debate in Washington has recently been cast as a false choice – either the country protects the businesses already operating in a given slice of spectrum, or it builds a complement and backup to GPS.
My company has a petition before the FCC to use the spectrum licenses we paid for in the lower 900 MHz band to enable a ground-based complement and backup to GPS. Our proposal is not an either-or; it is a win-win. Toll operators, railroads (licensed users), and retailers, airlines, and the security industry (unlicensed users) also use the band to support important operations, and they deserve confidence that their equipment will keep working. At the same time, America urgently needs a complement and backup to GPS that solves our national security vulnerabilities.“
Read the full article on Broadband Breakfast’s site here.