Last week, several representatives from member companies of the GPS Innovation Alliance participated in panel discussions at an all-day FCC workshop on “GPS Protection and Receiver Performance.” One of the top priorities of the GPS Innovation Alliance is to protect and promote the global positioning system, one of the most ubiquitous technologies in the world. 

Jim Kirkland, Vice President and General Counsel at Trimble, shared his thoughts on the meeting:

“We applaud the FCC for convening a wide range of stakeholders interested in the protection and responsible stewardship of GPS, one of our nation’s technological crown jewels.

"The FCC’s workshop highlights how GPS and GPS-reliant technologies and location-based services are deeply embedded in the everyday lives of all consumers, in critical private sector industries from agriculture to aviation to mobile broadband communications, and in essential government activities from emergency response to national defense.

"Just like the internet, communications networks, and power grids it helps to power and manage, the GPS-based ecosystem is vast, complex, and highly distributed, and the precise timing and location awareness that GPS enables are now essential parts of the central nervous system of our nation’s economy. All members of the GPS Innovation Alliance look forward to working closely with the FCC and other government and private sector stakeholders to ensure that the ecosystem is free from interference and that the security and survivability of critical GPS-based systems are responsibly addressed through robust public-private collaboration and shared leadership.” 

The GPS Innovation 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 www.gpsalliance.org.