House Appropriators Move to Block NextNav Proposal
Siding with 900 MHz incumbents, lawmakers said they fear interference from the company’s proposed system.
WASHINGTON, April 22, 2026 – House appropriators are trying to block federal regulators from implementing one company’s plan for a GPS backup, fearing interference on RFID chips and tolling systems.
The House Appropriations Committee cleared a bill Tuesday that included the Federal Communications Commission’s fiscal year 2027 budget. The committee adopted an amendment from Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, that would prevent any of the agency’s money from going toward implementing the plan.
The proposal at issue comes from NextNav, a geolocation company asking the FCC to alter the 902-928 MegaHertz (MHz) band to give the company 15 megahertz in support of a terrestrial GPS backup and 5G broadband. It’s already one of the main license holders.
