Changes Expected to FCC's Draft GPS and Location Accuracy Notices
A few tweaks are expected to the two wireless items to come before FCC commissioners Thursday at their open meeting, said industry officials active in the proceedings. The items are a notice of inquiry about a wide range of possible alternatives to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) and a draft Further NPRM on 911 wireless location accuracy. The GPS NOI saw numerous ex parte filings seeking tweaks, with only CTIA seeking changes to the location accuracy notice.
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Satellite software company Higher Ground made the latest filing last week, calling on commissioners to seek information about the capabilities of geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites to provide PNT services, in addition to low and medium earth orbit constellations. “Other nations have developed systems to provide PNT capability, and some of these systems rely heavily on GEO satellites,” said a filing in docket 25-110. “In particular, India’s … system is exclusively made up of GEO and inclined geosynchronous (IGSO) satellites," Higher Ground said, also citing China’s BeiDou system, which incorporates medium earth orbit satellites as well.
NextNav, which had sought a GPS rulemaking, had a single filing in the NOI docket, asking the FCC to reject the International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association’s request that the agency add a question on “interference implications for incumbent spectrum users” (see 2503200054).
Neology, which provides a platform for tolling services that uses the 900 MHz band that NextNav wants to use for PNT, supported the addition of a question on interference issues. RFID company Avery Dennison also supported it. Adding an interference question appears to be one of the key issues before the FCC, industry officials said.
Other parties urged the FCC to take an expansive approach in the NOI. NAB highlighted deployment of a broadcast positioning system as an alternative to GPS (see 2503190027).
NextNav “applauds” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s “leadership in accelerating the FCC’s efforts to rapidly support complementary and backup PNT solutions, including his recognition of the benefits of terrestrial technologies being part of a system of systems approach to solving this critical national security need,” emailed Renee Gregory, NextNav's vice president-regulatory affairs. “We look forward to continuing to work with the commission and the many other stakeholders who see the need for a resilient PNT system of systems.”
CTIA had the only two filings on the wireless location accuracy FNPRM, seeking numerous tweaks to the draft in a meeting with an aide to Carr (see 2503190025). The group also met with aides to the other commissioners (see 2503200052).
“Driven by stakeholder collaboration, advanced wireless location technology solutions provide public safety with the most accurate horizontal (x,y) and vertical (z-axis) location information ever available for wireless 911 calls -- whether outdoors or indoors,” CTIA said. The group declined further comment.
A lawyer representing carriers said some changes are likely based on the CTIA filings, but FCC staff so far are providing little feedback. “We’re still only at the further notice stage,” the lawyer said.