Experts Discuss the Importance of Satellite and Terrestrial Infrastructure for Resilience

WASHINGTON, September 28, 2025 – Positioning, navigation and timing experts warned Wednesday, Sept. 17, that America's critical infrastructure faces mounting threats from GPS jamming attacks and lacks adequate backup systems, as artificial intelligence demands strain power grids and communications networks.

Highlights Reel

Broadband Breakfast on September 17, 2025 – National Security and Resilient Critical Infrastructure

Does resilient infrastructure have national security implications for the United States?

Broadband BreakfastBroadband Breakfast

Speaking during a Broadband Breakfast Live Online panel discussion, industry leaders highlighted vulnerabilities in positioning, navigation and timing systems that underpin everything from financial networks to emergency services.

"We all depend on accurate PNT every day in ways that we don't even realize," said Renee Gregory, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at NextNav. "We strongly believe that you must have at least one terrestrial option in addition to GPS as a single space-based option."

The discussion comes as GPS jamming and spoofing incidents spread beyond conflict zones to commercial shipping lanes and aviation routes. Lisa Dyer, Executive Director of the GPS Innovation Alliance, said these attacks represent "harmful interference" that threatens public safety and international commerce.

"We are concerned about the jamming and spoofing that we're seeing take place around the world," Dyer said. "What's really remarkable is that jamming and spoofing is occurring to every single electronic system."

The experts pointed to China's strategic advantage in backup systems. Gregory noted that "China has a terrestrial alternative backup to GPS. They have that today and they know that we do not."

Data centers powering AI require massive amounts of electricity

Meanwhile, the surge in AI applications is straining infrastructure in unexpected ways. Data centers powering AI systems require massive amounts of electricity and water, creating new vulnerabilities for communities hosting these facilities.

"Building the data center and prepping for the data center itself, PNT, particularly through GPS today, is going to be absolutely foundational to getting it started," Dyer said.

The timing challenges extend beyond construction to operations. AI systems depend on precise timing signals for synchronization, making them vulnerable to the same GPS disruptions affecting other critical infrastructure systems.

Gregory emphasized that terrestrial backup systems could provide a deterrent effect against attacks on satellite networks. "The very presence of a terrestrial system is likely to lessen that threat," she said. "If they know that if they take out space, there will be a robust terrestrial option, they are less likely to even try to disrupt space."

Both experts stressed the interconnected nature of modern infrastructure challenges, where disruptions to one system can cascade across others. The discussion preceded the Resilient Critical Infrastructure Summit on September 18th in Washington, where industry leaders addressed energy, AI and national security implications for America’s critical infrastructure. Videos and more from the summit are now available to Breakfast Club members.

Full Event Video