WASHINGTON, June 22, 2021 – Today, the Executive Director of the GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA), J. David Grossman, issued the following statement in support of S.2166, the Recognizing and Ensuring Taxpayer Access to Infrastructure Necessary (RETAIN) for GPS and Satellite Communications Act of 2021[1]:

 

"As the voice of the GPS industry in Washington D.C., GPSIA is pleased to stand in support of the bipartisan RETAIN GPS Act. Whatever you may think of the FCC’s April 2020 decision to authorize the deployment of a nationwide terrestrial wireless network by Ligado Networks, this legislation focuses instead on ensuring small businesses, consumers and other civilian users, who are dependent on GPS for applications such as agriculture, aviation, construction, municipal services including snow removal and waste management, as well as police, fire, and other emergency communications, are not left picking up the tab, when their devices experience harmful interference.

 

Today, 99 percent of the more than 900 million GPS devices found in the United States are used by the private sector, consumers, as well as state and local governments. Yet, the FCC has failed to acknowledge the economic impact and costs to these users for repairing or replacing their equipment, should they experience adverse interference. The RETAIN GPS Act corrects this inequity by placing these costs with Ligado, as the license holder and source of interference. GPSIA thanks Senators Inhofe, Duckworth and Rounds for their leadership in introducing this critical legislation, and we look forward to working with leaders in both chambers to see it signed into law."
 

###

​

About GPS Innovation Alliance
 

Based in Washington, D.C., the GPS Innovation Alliance serves as the voice of the GPS industry, representing GPS equipment and technology manufacturers, and critical industries that rely on GPS. The Alliance recognizes the ever-increasing importance of Global Positioning System (GPS) and other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technologies to the global economy and infrastructure and is firmly committed to furthering GPS innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. The GPS Innovation Alliance seeks to protect, promote and enhance the use of GPS. For more information, please visit https://www.gpsalliance.org/.

​

​

[1] Consistent with the terms of their litigation settlements with Ligado, Garmin International, Inc and Deere & Company do not affirmatively endorse or oppose the deployment of Ligado’s proposed mobile communications network.

​