Fuller: Protect GPS From Current, Future Threats
The following information was released by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association:
By Sarah Brown
A conditional approval of LightSquareds use of the mobile satellite spectrum in 2011 put GPS signals at risk of dangerous interferencebut Congress has the power to protect GPS from present and future threats, AOPA President Craig Fuller told a House subcommittee Feb. 8.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committees aviation subcommittees hearing on the importance of GPA as a critical part of transportation infrastructure allowed Fuller to make recommendations on new protections that are needed to preserve the systems safety-critical role in the National Airspace System. In todays society, GPS is both critical and vulnerable, Fuller explained: Pilots rely on satellite-based systems for everything from en route navigation to precision approaches. Just as surface highways provide for commercial and personal transportation around the nation, so GPS highways in the sky allow for the efficient movement of people and goods via general aviation aircraft, he said in testimony. And just as the integrity and access to our surface infrastructure must be protected, so must the reliability and accessibility of our airborne infrastructure.
Interference with GPS signalswhich, as the subcommittees briefing memo noted, travel 12,500 miles from space to the receivers and are comparatively weakcould jeopardize use of the foundational technology in airspace modernization efforts, Fuller said. And to make matters worse, no formal backup is in place in case of GPS system shutdown or interference.
Access to the GPS system is also vulnerable to interference from changing uses of the broadcast spectrum, Fuller said. As recent events showed, powerful ground-based transmitters using spectrum adjacent to that designated for GPS are one potential source of interference. But as the demand for bandwidth continues to grow and new technologies are developed, the potential for interference will also continue to expand. He urged the subcommittee to protect GPS from potential new threats as well as existing ones.
While current policy and practice offer protection to GPS, further protections are needed, Fuller added: A clear statement of the need and intent to protect the system from a wide range of harmful actions would be an effective starting point. New protections will require extensive cross-agency and user collaboration, he said, including input from the FAA, Federal Communications Commission, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Agriculture, and others.
Copyright 2012 States News Service
