As jamming and spoofing of global navigation satellite system signals continue to grow, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today launched an inquiry to explore commercial technologies that would provide an alternative source of position, navigation, and timing (PNT) data.

“Although GPS is indispensable to America’s economic and national security, it represents a single point of failure that can be vulnerable to disruption or manipulation by our adversaries,” according to the FCC. “PNT data is integral to countless military, public safety, agricultural, and commercial activities. Because the American economy and national security depend on GPS as the sole source of PNT data, the U.S. government has shown great interest in developing resilient backups that would protect critical operations from any disruption in GPS signals.”

In a fact sheet describing the problem and some potential solutions, the FCC said that it plans to accelerate efforts to “support new and complementary or alternative PNT solutions that will maintain U.S. global leadership in this space and mitigate harmful GPS disruptions caused by foreign adversaries. Moreover, we note that the United States’ progress in developing complements to GPS may not be as far along as those currently underway in China, Russia, and other nations that have had greater success in deploying PNT solutions, including terrestrial backup to satellite-based services. China, for example, has been focusing on developing a multi-pronged system of systems based on satellite, terrestrial broadcast, and fiber solutions.”

The fact sheet outlines four potential technologies that could provide complementary PNT services. These include space-based systems that can provide PNT services, including low-earth-orbit satellite networks such as SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper. Iridium, TrustPoint, and Zona are also offering dedicated PNT capabilities.

Other technologies under consideration are ground-based and include the broadcast positioning system, which uses television signals; enhanced long-range navigation (eLoran), which has repeatedly surfaced as a robust alternative to GPS; and NextNav, a ground-based multilateration system.

“The commission intends to build a comprehensive record on what actions it can take to strengthen GPS and promote other PNT technologies. These actions could include FCC rule changes, public-private partnerships, testbeds, innovation zones, and more.”