GPS attack could disrupt economy, US lawmakers warn

Washington: US lawmakers this week warned that a successful attack on the Global Positioning System (GPS) could severely disrupt the American economy, as a House panel examined growing threats from China and Russia and debated competing technologies to provide backup positioning, navigation and timing services.

At a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, members of both parties agreed that GPS has become deeply embedded in modern life and that growing incidents of jamming and spoofing pose risks to national security, transportation networks, communications systems and critical infrastructure.

During the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson said GPS today supports far more than navigation apps, serving sectors ranging from communications and energy infrastructure to financial transactions and emergency response.

“Put simply, a catastrophic failure of GPS as a result of adversary spoofing or jamming would be devastating to our economy,” Hudson said, noting that Russia and China are developing capabilities that threaten satellite-based services. He pointed to a recent incident in which a British military aircraft reportedly lost GPS signals due to suspected Russian jamming.

Ranking Member Doris Matsui said Americans often overlook how dependent they have become on GPS.

“GPS helps keep your internet running, your payments moving, and your bank account safer from fraud,” she said. “It helps keep first responders find you when you call 911.” She warned that a major disruption could affect communications networks, aviation, energy systems, agriculture and supply chains across the country.

Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie said the risks are already evident overseas.

“Overseas, our adversaries are actively jamming and spoofing GPS in conflict zones, putting our service members at even greater risk,” he said. “A disruption to GPS here at home has the potential to be catastrophic for the economy.”

Witnesses told lawmakers that while GPS remains remarkably reliable, the United States needs a more resilient and layered approach to positioning, navigation and timing, commonly known as PNT.

Lisa Dyer, Executive Director of the GPS Innovation Alliance, described GPS as “one of America’s greatest innovations” and noted that since becoming operational in 1995, “GPS has not experienced a single system wide outage.” She said the GPS constellation currently includes 32 satellites and delivers signal availability of 99.99 per cent.

At the same time, Dyer awarned the lawmakers that localised jamming and spoofing incidents are increasingly affecting aviation and maritime operations. She urged stronger enforcement against illegal interference and called for accelerated modernisation of GPS infrastructure.

Several witnesses promoted alternative and complementary systems that could continue operating if GPS signals were disrupted.

Sam Matheny of the National Association of Broadcasters outlined the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), which uses existing broadcast towers and licensed spectrum. He said the system was designed to address a “more than $1 billion a day economic and national security risk” created by overreliance on GPS.

Mariam Sorond, chief executive officer of NextNav, argued that the United States remains vulnerable because it lacks a terrestrial backup network.

“China and Russia have built ground based backups to GPS. The United States has not,” she said. Calling GPS “a national treasure,” Sorond added that it is also “a single point of failure.”

The hearing also highlighted sharp disagreements over proposals involving the lower 900 MHz spectrum band. Consumer groups, technology companies and industry representatives warned that changes could interfere with existing services used by utilities, public safety agencies, retailers, transportation operators and agricultural businesses.

Lawmakers repeatedly stressed that any future backup system must be thoroughly tested and should strengthen resilience without imposing significant costs on consumers or disrupting existing services.

GPS was originally developed by the US military and later opened for civilian use. It now serves billions of users worldwide and supports sectors ranging from aviation and telecommunications to banking, logistics and precision agriculture.

IANS