Neutral NPRM on GPS Resilience Seen Likely in March or April
The FCC appears likely to release a rulemaking in March or April further exploring issues raised by NextNav as part of a request that the agency reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band to enable a “terrestrial complement” to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services. Industry experts told us they expect the NPRM to take a neutral stance on NextNav’s use of the lower 900 MHz band and to be the next step following last year’s notice of inquiry on GPS issues.
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The NOI, which commissioners approved 4-0 last March, was broad in its reach, asking questions about a wide range of possible alternatives to GPS for PNT, including terrestrial- and space-based solutions (see 2503270042). Chairman Brendan Carr sought a vote on the NOI at his second meeting as chair. A 2020 executive order by President Donald Trump called for enhanced PNT resilience.
Avi Rosenthal, a senior partner at BlueConnect Partners who opposes the NextNav proposal, told us he expects an NPRM in the next few months. Carr “wants to move the concept of a secondary GPS system forward.” The NPRM won’t favor the NextNav solution and instead will take a “cage match” approach, “not giving any one solution any priority or weight,” Rosenthal predicted.
Asked about the potential NPRM, Renee Gregory, NextNav's vice president of regulatory affairs, said in an email Tuesday that the company welcomes the FCC taking the next steps. The NPRM will fulfill “a key Trump Administration priority: the deployment of a resilient terrestrial complement and backup to GPS.” Russia and China are already moving forward, “and it’s time the U.S. does the same,” she said.
Gregory added that NextNav remains “committed to supporting the FCC and ensuring it has the technical and economic analyses needed to take the next step toward optimizing the lower 900 MHz band to enable a 5G-powered 3D PNT solution at no cost to taxpayers.”
A lawyer closely following the proceeding said a recent meeting that members of the RAIN RFID coalition had with all three FCC commissioners, where the group voiced its opposition to the plan (see 2601280027), seemed to show that work on the NPRM could be nearing completion. While there are other reasons that commissioners would agree to such a meeting, including the involvement of CEOs, they're most common closer to the launch of a rulemaking, the lawyer said. “There’s also a very thorough record at this point, and Carr is taking an aggressive approach” on the issue.
NextNav’s plan also faces opposition from utilities, Wi-Fi advocates, wireless ISPs, highway and bridge officials, and others. About a third of the comments on the NOI addressed the NextNav proposal (see 2505140017).