FCC chair says we’re too dependent on GPS and wants to explore ‘alternatives’

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to vote on an inquiry to explore alternatives to GPS, FCC chair Brendan Carr says in a blog post.

Carr says that while GPS has been “indispensable,” the technology “isn’t infallible” and that “disruptions to GPS have the potential to undermine the nation’s economic and national security.” Carr says that “we need to develop redundant technologies,” which is why the FCC will “vote on an inquiry to explore other Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems” that can serve as “complements or alternatives” to GPS.

In addition to GPS, Carr also says the commission will vote on two proposals regarding 911 technology. One is “a proposal to update our existing rules to ensure the resiliency, reliability, interoperability, and accessibility” of “Next Generation 911,” or NG911, which is internet-connected emergency tech that will eventually replace legacy 911 systems.

Another is a proposal to “strengthen our 911 location accuracy rules” to potentially improve the information first responders receive about a person’s location, including the ability to more accurately find callers on specific floors in buildings.

The issues are tentatively on the agenda for the FCC’s open meeting on March 27th.