The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to vote on whether to study alternatives to GPS, agency Chairman Brendan Carr said. Overreliance on the technology poses a threat to the country, the official said.
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The Global Positioning System (GPS), while “essential,” is not “infallible,” and “failures in GPS could undermine the nation’s economic and national security.” To address this threat, “redundant technologies must be developed.” So the FCC is voting on whether to “examine other positioning, navigation, and timing systems” — systems that could act as “add-ons or alternatives” to GPS.
Mr. Carr also spoke about his intention to modernize the 911 technology platform. The FCC has two issues up for a vote: new standards “to ensure the resiliency, reliability, interoperability, and availability” of the Next Generation 911 (NG911) service; and new standards for identifying victims so that emergency responders can more accurately locate them on specific floors of buildings.