NTIA Not Sold on NextNav Proposal for GPS Supplement

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2024 – The White House’s top telecom advisor is wary of one company’s proposal for nationwide GPS supplement.

NextNav, a geolocation company, went to the Federal Communications Commission with an idea to reorganize the 900 MegaHertz (MHz) band, setting aside 15 megahertz for the company to operate a terrestrial network that it said would make GPS more accurate and allow it to offer 5G broadband. The FCC asked for comments on the plan last month, and it received pushback from spectrum sharing proponents and transportation agencies that use the band.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration told the FCC it agreed something like NevtNav’s proposed system is necessary. But the NTIA said that after consulting with the Department of Transportation, it also worries the proposal would result in interference with important systems.