NextNav Defends 900 MHz Proposal Amid Wide Opposition

WASHINGTON, September 12, 2024 – The public airwaves are a scarce resource, routinely triggering political struggles in Washington. The latest one involves a proposal from a geolocation company to operate a nationwide GPS supplement in a band currently shared by locations services and unlicensed users.

NextNav’s proposal to reorganize the 900 megahertz band received opposition from spectrum sharing proponents including consumer groups and the cable industry. The company defended its proposal from claims it would cause interference.

“Much of the business community utilizes Part 15 devices to increase economic productivity and efficiency, bolster safety, deliver innovation, and provide other important benefits to consumers, customers, and the public,” the Chamber of Commerce wrote in a letter co-signed by dozens of transportation infrastructure groups, utilities, and others. “The changes proposed by NextNav potentially threaten to disrupt these established business and governmental operations, impede ongoing innovation in this band, and undermine reliable communications systems across several industries.”