Lisa Dyer: Listen to Whispers, Not Shouts

A wise person once said, “Listen to whispers, not shouts.” The March 2025 Federal Communications Commission Notice of Inquiry on Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) prompted numerous shouts among stakeholders, with a time-worn theme emerging: jamming and spoofing vulnerabilities of the Global Positioning System (GPS) require a wholesale change to our PNT strategy.

The loudest proponents were companies with something to sell to support this dramatic shift.  Like all complex systems, GPS faces certain threats, but it’s time to give the “whispers” – available solutions can address known issues, as can today’s complementary PNT systems  –  their due.

The whisper: A national strategy is long overdue

The insight I gain from GPS Innovation Alliance member companies and affiliates is gratifying and illuminating. They design, manufacture, and deliver world-class PNT products and services for every sector and in nearly every industry. From this standpoint, it quickly becomes apparent when departments and agencies acting in isolation could bring true benefits to our nation by working together. And that time is now.

Why? Bright lines no longer exist between federal, defense, public safety, and commercial technologies. A national strategy to examine jamming and spoofing in and outside of conflict zones, which considers impacts to both extensively-used public safety and commercial receivers and devices operating in those same geographic areas, is essential.

Congress presciently outlawed “equipment designed to jam or otherwise interfere with authorized radio communications,” which as the FCC notes, “pose significant risks to public safety and potentially compromise other radio communications services….” This includes 5G, other wireless technologies, and signals supporting Beyond Visual Line of Sight unmanned aerial systems (UAS, or drones) used in energy, agricultural, and entertainment industries, among many applications.

Other proposals that pose significant risks to public safety and commercial radio communications services include technologies used to counter UAS and legislative and regulatory initiatives considering permitting jamming contraband wireless devices in correctional facilities.

Department of War (DOW) navigation warfare strategies envision not just military but also non-combat operations. These initiatives seek to address urgent and challenging issues but should not result from siloed policymaking that minimizes discovery of lower cost, less harmful, and more effective alternatives.  

Reviving blunt-force Cold War techniques like jamming and spoofing to address threats will not solve today’s challenges. Don’t just take my word for it: As Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told Face the Nation on November 16, “One solution doesn’t work, if you just try to jam them…in Ukraine, people have started to hard-wire drones.” 

Americans are known for ingenuity. To use DOW lingo, we can create “tactics, techniques, and procedures” to address emerging military and civil threats without returning to a now-ineffective Cold War playbook.

The whisper: Aggressive enforcement of illegal spoofing is essential as we pursue scammers

Countless scam text messages are transmitted by bots and other scammers that mimic physical spoofers – pretending to be a real source and transmitting inaccurate information to misdirect the user. We applaud government efforts to actively combat scammers and encourage similar steps against illegal spoofer use in the United States and abroad, including to allocate greater resources for FCC enforcement personnel and efforts. 

Spoofed GPS signals are a public safety emergency. It’s time to enforce existing laws. 

The whisper: Diversification strategies apply to PNT 

The PNT market is working. Chipset, receiver, and device manufacturers are investigating and incorporating new signals from multiple sources to ensure a seamless customer experience. Robust cybersecurity and increased resiliency consistent with the Department of Homeland Security’s Best Practices are being implemented. 

A comprehensive analysis by RAND of PNT-dependent industries initiated in the first Trump Administration and carried forward to today has found that companies using PNT in critical applications are investing in resilience and leveraging risk mitigation in available products and services.  

Commercial, complementary PNT systems exist, and new systems are emerging. We need look no further than Iridium to find a globally-available L-band system. TrustPoint’s innovative C-band system will further diversify frequencies transmitting PNT signals worldwide. Xona is developing a new satellite constellation leveraging L-band spectrum. Space is THE place for innovative, complementary PNT systems with comprehensive U.S. and global reach, like GPS.

The final whisper

It’s time to acknowledge the need for a national strategy where the federal government immediately enforces existing laws and funds innovations while recognizing that industry is actively mitigating risks, including through today’s complementary PNT. 

While GPS urgently needs investments to use our most advanced generation of satellites, it remains our most robust and reliable PNT system, with a 99.99% availability, nuclear hardened, and no outages. Contrary to shouts demanding a fundamental shift in approach, clear reasons exist to trust GPS.

Political will and leadership can deliver taxpayer-effective solutions for military, civil, and commercial PNT users alike, while preserving public safety and America’s national security and economic dominance. 

Lisa Dyer is currently the Executive Director of the GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA), where she advocates for companies developing world-class GPS, GNSS, and complementary space-based PNT systems, their receivers and devices used in every sector and nearly every industry. She champions their vital roles in public safety, critical infrastructure, and the global economy. She has more than 25 years of experience as a leader at the intersection of public policy, national security, business and technology, and has served in roles in both the public and private sector. This Expert Opinion is exclusive to Broadband Breakfast.

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