The Washington, D.C.-based Bull Moose Project recently released a new report detailing America’s dangerous, near-total reliance on GPS, which the organization says is “a single point of failure underpinning critical infrastructure, security and modern technology.” Location Business News interviewed BMP President Aiden Buzzetti about the crisis and what technology the organization says should be adopted.
LBN: We know bad foreign actors are jamming GPS, but why is the Bull Moose Project involved in GPS availability issues?
Buzzetti: “We’re involved in GPS availability issues because our job is to advocate for the American people. GPS is a tool that helped build the modern economy, from map applications to Uber UBER 2.49%↑ it also forms the backbone of military equipment and planning for the United States. If, for whatever reason, the GPS system was taken down and we did not have a reliable terrestrial backup, the consequences would be immense. Taking down or jamming GPS signals could put American soldiers in harm’s way and also cripple us domestically. At the Bull Moose Project, our goal is to advocate for a dominant American future. We can’t have one if an adversary, or even a freak solar storm, could take down our GPS systems.”
LBN: How does the FCC’s Carr initiative help make GPS secure?
Buzzetti: “Chairman Brendan Carr’s work to explore GPS backups will enable the United States to leapfrog China in the race for reliable GPS backups. The Chairman himself stated that the United States “fell deeply behind China” on PNT issues over the last few years. Fundamentally, Chairman Carr is keeping the debate open on the future and makeup of those technologies, because both the FCC and Congress have recognized the risks of GPS disruption. The government should be encouraging industry-wide debate over this issue — the more aggressively federal agencies and Congress emphasize the need for a backup, the more confident American innovators will be in delivering solutions.”
LBN: You are advocating a private-sector 5G backup, who makes it/proposes it, and why do you think this is the best solution?
Buzzetti: “The 5G backup we propose in the report notes three benefits: the signals from terrestrial transmitters are more difficult to jam, the infrastructure is more resilient and less reliant on satellites as a single point of failure, and that the technology can be phased in with consumer products over time. The NextNav NN 0.23%↑ TerraPoiNT system has tested well so far during agency field tests, and we believe that it would be a welcome complement to our current GPS system for those reasons.
”Fundamentally, we want to reduce the risks of GPS failure across the United States, and we want to do so in a way that harnesses the expertise of private industry and maximizes benefits for Americans that use 5G products. There is a strong case that a terrestrial backup can be developed without any government subsidization. That means if the FCC moves forward, a rollout can be completed with minimal red-tape and maximum confidence from innovators.”
