Image: FCC, Chairman Carr at recent meeting
What’s new: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) seeking a vast amount of information about positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) policies and systems from the public.
Why it’s important: As expressed at the FCC’s public meeting last week, in their press release, and in the NOI, the commission is concerned about the nation’s vulnerability having GPS as a single point of failure for PNT and wants to contribute toward establishing a backup.
What else to know:
- The FCC is an independent agency that does not report to the executive branch. That said, three of the five members are from the party occupying the White House, and all are appointed by the President (the third Republican has yet to be appointed).
- While the FCC might want to contribute, they are not (yet) recognized as the lead and coordinating agency for PNT within the government.
- In his remarks at the public meeting last week FCC Chair Brendan Carr said a “whole of government effort” was needed to address the issue.
- The FCC has two PNT related petitions it is considering. One is from NextNav asking for about $5B worth of spectrum so it can try to work with telecom providers and establish a PNT network. The other is from the National Association of Broadcasters. They are not asking for spectrum. Rather they want the FCC to set a schedule for TV stations in the US to adopt a new signal format that also provides PNT information. The NOI will help inform the FCC’s decisions.
FCC Launches Proceeding on GPS Alternatives
Inquiry Seeks to Promote Innovative Technologies that Protect Americans from GPS Disruptions
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WASHINGTON, March 27, 2025—The Federal Communications Commission today launched an inquiry to explore commercial technologies that would complement the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Although GPS is indispensable to America’s economic and national security, it represents a single point of failure that can be vulnerable to disruption or manipulation by our adversaries. That is why leaders from President Trump to Chairman Cruz and Senator Markey have called to develop alternative systems that provide “position, navigation, and timing” (PNT) data.
PNT data is integral to countless military, public safety, agricultural, and commercial activities. Because the American economy and national security depend on GPS as the sole source of PNT data, the U.S. government has shown great interest in developing resilient backups that would protect critical operations from any disruption in GPS signals.
The Notice of Inquiry adopted today examines how the Commission might foster GPS complements and alternatives. The Notice asks about a wide array of PNT technologies under development by broadcasters, wireless operators, satellite constellations, and startups that use FCC-licensed spectrum. It also seeks comment on the tradeoffs among these emerging PNT offerings based on factors like performance, adoption, scale, geographic coverage, durability, cost, and commercialization.
The Commission intends to build a comprehensive record on what actions it can take to strengthen GPS and promote other PNT technologies. These actions could include FCC rule changes, public-private partnerships, testbeds, Innovation Zones, and more.
Action by the Commission March 27, 2025 by Notice of Inquiry (FCC 25-20). Chairman Carr, Commissioners Starks, Simington, and Gomez approving. Chairman Carr and Commissioner Starks issuing separate statements.
WT Docket No. 25-110
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Media Contact: MediaRelations@fcc.gov / (202) 418-0500 @FCC / www.fcc.gov
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).
