GPS World

Tag: NTIA

  • Protect GPS from threats, foreign and domestic

    Protect GPS from threats, foreign and domestic

    Matteo Luccio
    Matteo Luccio

    Currently, 37 Global Positioning System satellites are on-orbit, with 29 of them set healthy. The system continues to provide an average 48-centimeter position accuracy. Despite this achievement, the U.S. government — specifically, the Space Force — continues to modernize GPS’s space, control and military user equipment segments.

    Modernization of the space segment is centered on the GPS III satellites, which provide up to eight times better anti-jam capability and a new L1C signal to improve user connectivity. GPS IIIF satellites, scheduled for delivery starting in early 2026, will add a search-and-rescue payload, a fully digital navigation payload, and greatly enhanced anti-jam capability for military operations.

    Modernization of the control segment is focused on the next-generation Operational Control System (OCX), scheduled to become operational early next year. OCX will sport an updated architecture to provide enhanced command-and-control capabilities and enhanced cybersecurity. Despite the pandemic, all 17 global OCX monitoring station installations were completed last summer, and most of the remaining equipment was fielded by the end of 2021.

    Twenty-four GPS satellites are broadcasting the military code (M-code). The Modernized GPS User Equipment (MGUE) program is developing military GPS receivers able to take advantage of these signals to improve defenses against spoofing and jamming while allowing navigation warfare operations.

    On the civil side, GPS modernization will play a key role in the development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System and intelligent transportation systems. The Department of Defense coordinates its GPS activities with the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and many other federal departments and agencies via the National Executive Committee for Space-Based PNT. The term “space-based PNT” refers to GPS, GPS augmentations and other GNSS.

    However, this government-wide coordination and cooperation is contradicted by the stand of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the matter of Ligado Networks’ applications to modify its license for terrestrial service, which it approved in 2020. The FCC’s decision is opposed by the executive branch, represented by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and by 14 federal agencies and departments individually (including the departments of Defense, Transportation, State, Treasury, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Energy and Homeland Security), as well as by the National PNT Advisory Board and by most GNSS receiver manufacturers and aviation organizations. NTIA took the unprecedented step of filing a still-pending petition for reconsideration with the FCC. The concern is that Ligado’s proposed transmission power exceeds the thresholds established by the DOT’s April 2018 GPS Adjacent Band Compatibility study to protect GPS users from harmful interference.

    So, the list of threats to GPS now includes solar flares, spoofing, jamming, “legal jamming” by Ligado, and the Russian government’s recent threat to destroy GPS satellites. Modernizing GPS must proceed hand-in-hand with protecting it.

  • FCC to vote on allowing US devices to use Galileo

    FCC to vote on allowing US devices to use Galileo

    The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will vote in November on whether to allow U.S. devices to access Galileo.

    The Galileo Order is tentatively on the agenda for the Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 15:

    Galileo Order – The Commission will consider an Order that addresses waivers of certain satellite licensing requirements for receive-only earth stations operating with the Galileo Radionavigation-Satellite Service. (IB Docket No. 17-16)

    “Enabling the Galileo system to work in concert with the U.S. GPS constellation should make GPS more precise, reliable and resilient for American consumers and businesses alike ,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

    In 2015, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) submitted to the FCC a request from the European Commission to waive certain of the commission’s earth station licensing rules to permit non-federal U.S. receive-only earth stations to operate with Galileo.

    The NTIA recommended grant of the requested waivers, and the International Bureau issued a Public Notice seeking comment on the potential public interest benefits and technical issues associated with the waiver request.

    The FCC is proposing to waive its licensing requirements for non-federal operations with Galileo signals known as E1 and E5, subject to certain technical constraints, officials said.

    The FCC includes conditions to ensure users of satellite-based positioning, navigation and timing services in the United States will benefit from Galileo signals. The systems are interoperable under a 2004 agreement.

    Below is a summary of the order; the full text can be downloaded here.

    • Grant in part the request of the European Commission for waivers of certain of the Commission’s earth station licensing rules to permit non-federal U.S. receive-only earth stations to operate with specific signals of the Galileo GNSS without obtaining a license or grant of market access.
    • Find that the Galileo GNSS is uniquely situated as a foreign GNSS system with respect to the U.S. GPS, since the two systems are interoperable and radiofrequency compatible pursuant to the 2004 European Union/United States Galileo-GPS Agreement.
    • Find that there are significant public interest benefits associated with operations of non-federal U.S. receive-only earth stations with the Galileo GNSS, including increased availability, reliability, and resiliency of position, navigation, and timing services in the United States.
    • Grant the request for operations with the Galileo E1 signal, which is transmitted over the 1559-1591 MHz frequency band.
    • Grant the request, and a waiver of the non-federal portion of the U.S. Table of Frequency Allocations, for operations with the Galileo E5 signal, which is transmitted over the 1164-1219 MHz frequency band.
    • Deny the request for operations with the Galileo E6 signal, which is transmitted over the 1260-1300 MHz frequency band, since there is no federal or non-federal allocation for RNSS in the U.S. Table of Frequency Allocations in that band and grant of waiver could constrain our future spectrum management for non-federal operations in the U.S. in spectrum above 1300 MHz, where potential changes in the non-federal allocation are under consideration.