Every day, Americans depend on the Global Positioning System far more than they realize. Positioning, Navigation, and Timing services such as GPS underpin nearly every aspect of modern life — from emergency response and aviation safety to financial transactions and power grid synchronization. A disruption to GPS would be catastrophic, which is why the United States must strengthen and back up GPS with a robust and redundant PNT infrastructure.
Recognizing the importance of GPS reliability, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr recently launched a Notice of Inquiry into new PNT technologies. The goal of this proceeding is to evaluate a range of potential systems that could complement or back up GPS, ensuring the nation’s critical infrastructure remains secure and resilient. That effort is timely and essential.
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But one proposal before the FCC would do more harm than good. In April 2024, NextNav Inc. petitioned the FCC to control spectrum in the 902–928 MHz band for high-power terrestrial 5G and PNT use. Beyond the question of whether turning over spectrum worth billions to a single company makes sense, the petition threatens the reliability of systems that already underpin the U.S. economy and national security.
That same spectrum band supports tens of millions of RAIN RFID systems (a form of Radio Frequency Identification) that are used every day by American businesses, hospitals, manufacturers, and defense operations. The RAIN Alliance, a global industry consortium advancing this wireless identification technology, represents the companies that make these systems possible. Based on globally recognized standards, RAIN RFID enables real-time tracking and visibility across U.S. supply chains. It ensures that everything, from medical supplies and food shipments to critical components in transportation and military systems, is delivered efficiently and securely.
Technical analysis submitted to the FCC, including the Plum Report and Pericle Study, confirms that NextNav’s proposed changes would cause harmful interference to these tens of millions of RAIN RFID systems across the country. The results would be severe: disrupted hospital inventories, delayed shipments, and weakened visibility into the flow of goods essential to our economy and national defense.
Facing broad pushback from industry, technical experts, and government stakeholders, NextNav has responded with a PR campaign attempting to portray its opponents as unpatriotic or anti-U.S. interests. Let’s be clear: Opposition to this petition is driven by engineering, evidence, and a commitment to protecting American innovation. After all, more than 98% of the RAIN tag chips shipped in 2024 came from U.S. and European manufacturers, a clear demonstration of allied leadership in a vital technology.
As part of the ongoing Notice of Inquiry launched by Carr, the FCC is rightly taking a broader look at how best to strengthen GPS resilience without jeopardizing existing systems. That process, and not NextNav’s narrow proposal, should continue to guide this discussion. The U.S. Department of Transportation has also issued contracts to advance field testing of GPS-complementary technologies such as 5G PNT, ATSC 3.0 broadcasting, Low Earth Orbit satellites, and fiber-optic time distribution. Each offers a promising and less disruptive path toward national resilience.
That is the right approach. Building GPS redundancy should never come at the expense of other critical systems. By working closely with industry and technical experts, policymakers can make sure each step toward GPS resilience reinforces the stability of existing systems.
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RAIN RFID is a quiet American success story: a secure, efficient technology that helps U.S. companies compete globally while protecting consumers, workers, and supply chains. Undermining it would hand competitors an advantage and create new vulnerabilities for our economy and national security.
The stakes are high. Let’s build a GPS backup that protects, not endangers, America’s economic strength, technological leadership, and national security.
Aileen Ryan is president and CEO of the RAIN Alliance, a global consortium of companies working together to create a smarter, more sustainable world by using RAIN RFID technology.
