GPS Legislative Updates

Defense Authorization Markups Scheduled

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:52:48 -0400

The House Armed Services Committee has announced its plans to mark up the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The Strategic Forces Subcommittee, which oversees the GPS budget, is scheduled to mark up its section on May 22. The full committee will mark up the complete bill on June 5.

April Newsletter Released

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:00:00 -0400

Our latest issue of "GPS Tracker" summarizes the FY 2014 GPS budget request, highlights a review on the future of NDGPS, provides updates on location privacy legislation, and spotlights the Smithsonian's new exhibit on Time and Navigation.

President's Budget Request Includes Nearly $1.3 Billion for GPS Program

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:00:00 -0400

We identified every GPS program line item in the President's budget request for Fiscal Year 2014.

Updates on Geolocation Privacy Legislation

Tue, 2 Apr 2013 09:53:00 -0400

We updated our page on the GPS Act to also include similar legislation introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren. Both bills were recently reintroduced for the new Congress.

March Newsletter Released

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:50:59 -0400

Our latest "GPS Tracker" newsletter includes stories on GPS funding in the final FY 2013 budget, safe GPS use on commercial trucks and buses, and recent progress in the GPS III program.

Final Spending Measure Provides Funding for GPS Program

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:38:52 -0400

We updated our FY 2013 funding page with the GPS budget marks in the final spending measure signed on Tuesday. The act cuts GPS IIF by $10 million and OCX by $21.5 million.

President Signs Defense Act

Thu, 3 Jan 2013 10:22:52 -0500

We updated our funding page to reflect yesterday's signature of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2013.

December Newsletter Released

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:03:47 -0500

Our latest "GPS Tracker" highlights the GPS guidance in the final defense authorization bill, a recent hearing on spectrum issues, the new NCO director, and more.

Defense Authorization Bill Finalized

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 10:50:06 -0500

Yesterday, the House-Senate conferees released their compromise bill for the FY 2013 defense authorization. The final act both adds and repeals congressional reporting requirements related to GPS.

Full Senate Passes Defense Authorization

Wed, 5 Dec 2012 15:03:13 -0500

We updated our funding tracker to reflect the Senate's passage of the defense authorization bill. At this time, we are unaware of any changes from the committee version that would affect GPS.

October Newsletter Released

Fri, 5 Oct 2012 10:09:44 -0400

This month's issue of "GPS Tracker" includes stories on the GPS IIF-3 satellite launch, the recent LightSquared hearing, GAO's findings on GPS vulnerabilities in drones, and truck accidents due to the use of inappropriate GPS devices.

Commerce Committee Announces Hearing on LightSquared

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 15:43:26 -0400

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, will hold a hearing on Friday, September 21, at 9:30 a.m. The hearing is titled "The LightSquared Network: An Investigation of the FCC's Role."

August Newsletter Released

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 15:33:54 -0400

Our latest issue of "GPS Tracker" highlights the latest FY 2013 Air Force GPS funding, the recent House hearing on GPS spoofing of aerial drones, and use of GPS by 4-H youth.

Senate Appropriators Follow Authorizers' Recommendations on GPS Funding

Mon, 6 Aug 2012 11:40:38 -0400

We updated the FY 2013 funding page with the Senate Appropriations Committee's marks for the Air Force GPS program. The Senate numbers line up with those in the National Defense Authorization Act passed by the House and awaiting Senate floor action.

Senate Appropriators Complete Defense Markup

Fri, 3 Aug 2012 13:03:40 -0400

This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and passed its version of the defense spending bill for FY 2013. No details have been released yet about the GPS line items.

House Approves Cuts to Air Force GPS Funding

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:38:58 -0400

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the FY 2013 defense appropriations act with $48.3 million in reductions to the Air Force's $1.26 billion GPS program. The bill now awaits Senate consideration.

Appropriators Urge Final FCC Action on LightSquared

Mon, 2 Jul 2012 16:24:55 -0400

We updated our page on LightSquared-related legislation to reflect the House Appropriations Committee's report language to accompany H.R. 6020, the bill that funds the FCC. The report, dated June 26, urges the prompt adoption of the actions that the FCC proposed in February with regard to LightSquared.

House Approves Cuts to Civil GPS; Bans DOT from Mandating GPS Tracking of Motor Vehicles

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 16:00:00 -0400

Today, the full House passed the FY 2013 transportation appropriations package with major reductions to GPS Civil Requirements and WAAS. The House adopted a floor amendment prohibiting the use of the funds to implement regulations that mandate GPS tracking in passenger or commercial motor vehicles.

July Newsletter Released

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 16:00:00 -0400

Our latest issue of "GPS Tracker" highlights the civil GPS funding cuts, Senate action on the defense authorization, the GPS educational event on the Hill, and use of GPS on the SpaceX mission to the International Space Station.

House Appropriators Cut Civil GPS Funding

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 17:37:35 -0400

Today, the House Appropriations Committee passed its version of the bill that funds the Department of Transportation. They recommended $15 million for GPS civil requirements, $25 million below the President's request. They also cut WAAS by $4 million.

Senate Defense Marks Posted

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:28:31 -0400

We updated our FY 2013 funding page with the results of the Senate Armed Services Committee's defense bill markup, which exactly matched the House marks for GPS program funding. The Senate bill would also repeal the biennial GPS report. In addition, we updated the DoD appropriations section with bill numbers, source document links, and further details on the House cut to OCX.

Congressmen Express Support for GPS Program at Capitol Hill Event

Fri, 1 Jun 2012 13:35:42 -0400

Yesterday, Reps. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) and Pete Olson (R-TX) spoke in support of the national GPS program at an educational forum on GPS modernization. The event, held at the Rayburn House Office Building, was organized by several aerospace firms and included exhibits from various GPS user groups. The government's National Coordination Office for Space-Based PNT and NASA also participated as exhibitors. A large number of congressmen attended in person to learn about GPS.

Senate Appropriators Cut Civil GPS Funding

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:47:02 -0400

We just updated our FY 2013 funding page to reflect last month's action on the bill that funds DOT. The Senate Appropriations Committee recommended a $21 million cut to the $40 million line item for GPS civil requirements. WAAS and NDGPS were fully funded, but the NextGen account that covers GBAS and APNT was significantly reduced.

Defense Bill Clears Senate Committee

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:49:39 -0400

Yesterday, the Senate Armed Services Committee passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2013. According to a statement released by the committee, the Senate bill includes a provision to repeal the biennial report to Congress on GPS. The original House version of the bill proposed the same repeal, but it is not present in the current House bill.

May Newsletter Released

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:37:53 -0400

We published a new issue of our "GPS Tracker" newsletter for policymakers, featuring stories on the GPS provisions in the FY 2013 defense authorization and appropriations bills.

House Appropriators Set to Cut $48.3M from GPS Program

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:36:55 -0400

The House Appropriations Committee has released its draft report on the defense appropriations bill, which they will mark up tomorrow. The report recommends a $10 million cut to GPS IIF satellite procurement and a $38.3 million cut to OCX.

Reporting Requirement on Military Readiness for GPS-Denied Environments

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:36:00 -0400

We updated our FY13 funding page with links to the official GPO version of the House's defense bill and report. In doing so, we discovered a provision in the bill requiring a report and exercise plan on the military's readiness to operate in environments where GPS and other information systems are denied. We also found that the committee deleted text that would have repealed the biennial GPS report to Congress.

House Authorizers Recommend 99.9% Funding for GPS Program

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:00 -0400

The FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act passed the House Armed Services Committee on May 10. The bill includes full funding for every Air Force line item in the GPS budget except OCX, which was cut by $1.5 million.

House Defense Bill Includes GPS Provisions

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:13:22 -0400

Yesterday, the House Strategic Forces Subcommittee marked up its portion of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2013 (H.R. 4310). As introduced, the bill would repeal the biennial GPS report to Congress. The subcommittee also called for a new report on alternative architectures for the future GPS. We will provide more details about the House bill as they become available.

New Links to Senate Testimony, GAO Report

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:31:08 -0400

We updated the congressional section to include a link to Gen. Shelton's March 21 testimony related to GPS before the Senate Armed Services Committee. We also added a GAO report on DoD space acquisition that was released the same day. The report discusses challenges to the GPS space, ground, and user segments.

March Newsletter Released

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:00:00 -0400

Our latest issue of "GPS Tracker" highlights the FY 2013 budget request, the GPS Adventures exhibit in Kansas, and the potential for GPS disruptions during solar storms.

Air Force Testimony on GPS Budget Request

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 15:34:24 -0500

General William Shelton, Commander of Air Force Space Command, testified today before the House Armed Services Committee to present the Fiscal Year 2013 budget request for national security space activities, including $1.264 billion for GPS.

Civil GPS Funding Line Items

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:06:27 -0500

We updated our FY 2013 budget request page to include the DOT funding lines for GPS modernization, augmentation, and backup.

February Newsletter Released

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:12:32 -0500

We published a new issue of our "GPS Tracker" newsletter for policymakers, featuring stories on the FCC action on LightSquared, the Aviation Subcommittee hearing on GPS, and the Supreme Court ruling on GPS tracking.

GPS Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2013

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:38:21 -0500

The President's budget request for the Air Force includes $1.2637 billion for the GPS program. We consolidated all of the relevant line items onto a new FY 2013 funding page at GPS.gov. We will update the page in the future with information about civil GPS funding and congressional action on the budget request.

Testimony from Aviation Safety Hearing

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0500

Yesterday, Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari and several industry witnesses testified before the House Aviation Subcommittee on the safety concerns related to potential LightSquared interference with aviation GPS receivers.

Aviation Subcommittee Schedules Hearing on GPS Issues

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:03:43 -0500

The Aviation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has scheduled a February 8 hearing titled, "A Review of Issues Associated with Protecting and Improving Our Nation's Aviation Satellite-Based Global Positioning System Infrastructure."

January Newsletter Released

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:23:39 -0500

We published a new issue of our "GPS Tracker" newsletter for policymakers, featuring stories on the final DoD funding levels for GPS, final passage of LightSquared-related legislation, and the latest on GPS interference testing.

GPS Rescission Explained

Mon, 9 Jan 2012 18:52:55 -0500

We updated our FY 2012 funding page to explain the $122.5 million rescission for GPS III in the omnibus appropriations act. The Air Force requested that Congress rescind the FY 2011 funds following a program change and reprogramming of FY 2010 funds.

President Signs Defense Authorization

Tue, 3 Jan 2012 15:24:30 -0500

The National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012 became law on December 31. We updated our page on LightSquared-related legislation to reflect the final language restricting FCC action on the LightSquared waiver and requiring DoD to conduct periodic reviews of GPS interference.

President Signs FY 2012 Omnibus

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:09:00 -0500

We updated our GPS funding tracker to reflect the signature of H.R. 2055 into law. President Obama recently stated his intent to also sign the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1540) into law.

Omnibus Restricts FCC Action Regarding LightSquared

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:31:20 -0500

The Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2012 includes the language previously adopted in the House version of the financial services appropriations bill. The language prevents the FCC from removing the conditions imposed on LightSquared operations until the FCC resolves concerns of potential widespread harmful interference to GPS devices.

GPS Program Appropriations Finalized

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:03:09 -0500

The Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2012 (H.R. 2055) funds the GPS program within DoD at $1.473 billion, $11 million above the President's request. Congress added funds to GPS IIF and cut funds from GPS III and OCX. The act also rescinds $122.5 million in FY 2011 funds for GPS III. H.R. 2055 currently awaits the President's signature, along with the defense authorization act that Congress passed last week.

Conferees Set GPS Authorization Levels

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:23:25 -0500

The House-Senate conference committee on the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act settled on a funding authorization level of $1.433B for the GPS program, $29 million short of the request. The cuts come from OCX and GPS III satellite development. The conferees also combined the House and Senate reporting requirements regarding LightSquared interference.

Senate Bill Adds Cut to GPS OCX

Fri, 2 Dec 2011 14:18:17 -0500

The defense bill that just passed the Senate includes a $24 million reduction to the Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) for GPS III. This is in addition to the $40 million cut to GPS III previously recommended by the Senate Armed Services Committee. The cuts are consistent with the DoD funding bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Defense Bill Back on Track

Fri, 2 Dec 2011 09:42:52 -0500

Yesterday, the full Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act following several months of deliberations over the committee version. The bill, renumbered S. 1867, includes a reporting requirement for DoD regarding GPS interference from commercial communications services such as LightSquared. A conference committee must now reconcile the House and Senate versions of the bill.

December Newsletter Released

Thu, 1 Dec 2011 11:52:30 -0500

We published a new issue of our "GPS Tracker" newsletter for policymakers, featuring stories on the final cuts to civil GPS funding, LightSquared-related legislation, the latest GPS interference testing, and the Supreme Court's review of GPS tracking and privacy rights.

DOT Funding Levels Signed into Law

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:10:37 -0500

We updated our FY 2012 funding tracker to reflect last Friday's signature of the minibus appropriations act into law. The act makes deep cuts to civil GPS programs.

Minibus Funding Bill on President's Desk

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:43:54 -0500

Yesterday, the House and Senate both approved the conference committee's version of H.R. 2112, the mini-omnibus appropriations bill that includes funding for civil GPS modernization and augmentations. The bill is now awaiting the President's signature into law.

Minibus Includes LightSquared-Related Reporting Requirement

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:44:37 -0500

The conference committee report on H.R. 2112 directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to report to the Appropriations Committees within 60 days on the discoveries of the LightSquared-GPS technical working group and the scientific steps necessary to address any potential interference concerns. The Senate is now deliberating the National Defense Authorization Act, which also includes a reporting requirement concerning LightSquared interference to GPS. We are also aware of a proposed amendment to the next minibus funding bill that would limit FCC action with regard to LightSquared, but the fate of that bill is uncertain at this time.

Conference Committee Recommends Drastic Cuts to Civil GPS Programs

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:14:23 -0500

Congressional conferees issued their report yesterday on H.R. 2112, the mini-omnibus appropriations act that includes FY 2012 funding for the Department of Transportation. The bill would strike $31.3 million from the $50.3 million line item to support civil GPS modernization. It would also cut $30.5 million from the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS).

CBO Study on Military GPS Modernization Plans and Alternatives

Fri, 4 Nov 2011 13:46:28 -0400

In late October, the Congressional Budget Office published a new study titled, "The Global Positioning System for Military Users: Current Modernization Plans and Alternatives." The study, prepared at the request of the former Chairman of the Defense Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations, considers the implications of modernization plans for military users and assesses how those efforts are synchronized with DoD's efforts to improve the capabilities of its GPS receivers. The study also examines three alternatives for improving the performance of the GPS for military users and estimates the budgetary consequences of those options as well as their effect on the ability of the GPS to operate in an environment where an opponent is trying to jam GPS signals.

Senate Passes Minibus Appropriations Bill

Tue, 1 Nov 2011 18:10:53 -0400

Today, the Senate passed H.R. 2112, a mini-omnibus appropriations bill that includes funding for the Department of Transportation. Previous DOT funding bills in the House and Senate proposed major funding cuts to civil GPS modernization and augmentations. We will provide details on the latest DOT funding levels as soon as we get them.

November Newsletter Released

Tue, 1 Nov 2011 10:00:00 -0400

We published a new issue of our "GPS Tracker" newsletter for policymakers, featuring stories on the House Small Business Committee hearing on LightSquared-GPS interference, the new round of LightSquared testing, the FCC's crackdown on illegal GPS jammer sales, and the new congressional homepage at GPS.gov.

New Website for GPS Legislative Information

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:38:56 -0400

As part of the federal web consolidation initiative, we moved the entire congressional section of PNT.gov to GPS.gov. All of the same information, including this RSS feed, is now available at GPS.gov/congress, along with some major enhancements. You should not have to update your bookmarks and links to PNT.gov; they should automatically redirect to the corresponding pages at GPS.gov. Please let us know if you have any problems.

October Newsletter Released

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:02:37 -0400

We just published the latest issue of "GPS Tracker," highlighting the Senate cuts to GPS modernization, the House and Senate cuts to civil GPS line items, the recent IAF award to GPS, and tomorrow's hearing on LightSquared impacts to small business GPS users.

House THUD Bill Slashes Civil GPS Funding

Mon, 3 Oct 2011 14:12:33 -0400

We updated our funding tracker with newly released figures from the House Transportation-HUD subcommittee's September 8 markup. The panel recommended drastic cuts to civil GPS (-$31.3M) and WAAS (-$40.5M). A full committee markup has not been scheduled; the bill is likely to go straight to a House-Senate conference committee.

Senate Appropriators Cut Civil GPS Programs

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:39:32 -0700

On September 21, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a FY 2012 spending bill that would fund civil GPS requirements at $36M, $14.3M below the request. It would also fund WAAS at $110M, $15.5M below the request. The committee fully funded NDGPS, but the impact to GBAS is unclear at this time.

September Newsletter Released

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:27:08 -0700

We just issued our latest congressional newsletter, covering the two recent LightSquared hearings and the role of GPS in hurricane forecasting.

Senate Appropriators Recommend $64M in GPS Program Cuts

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:34:05 -0400

We updated our GPS funding tracker to reflect the Senate Appropriations Committee's passage of H.R. 2219 with cuts to GPS III procurement and Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) development. We also updated our information on LightSquared-related bills to indicate that the Senate versions of three of the bills include no mention of GPS.

Armed Services Committee Holds LightSquared Hearing

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:43:18 -0400

The House Armed Services Committee held a hearing today to discuss the national security implications of potential LightSquared interference to GPS. Senior leaders from the Air Force, Department of Defense, NTIA, National Coordination Office for Space-Based PNT, and FCC testified. Later today, the Senate Appropriations Committee will mark up its defense appropriations bill, which includes GPS funding.

Congress Tackles GPS Interference Concerns, Appropriations

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:42:46 -0400

On September 8, the House Science Committee held a hearing on federal science agency impacts from LightSquared interference to GPS. The House Armed Services Committee is scheduled to hold a similar hearing on September 15. Meanwhile, the House THUD appropriations subcommittee marked up its bill, which funds civil GPS requirements and augmentations, last week. We will release the specific figures when available. Finally, this week, the Senate Appropriations Committee will mark up its defense spending bill, including GPS funding, at the subcommittee and full committee levels.

Late July Newsletter Released

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:20:27 -0400

We just issued a second congressional newsletter for the month of July, covering the recent GPS launch, new LightSquared legislation, upcoming congressional hearings, and more.

CJS Report Cites GPS Interference Concern

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:45:12 -0400

We have updated the LightSquared-related legislation section of the website to add the bill number and source links for the appropriations act that funds the FCC and puts conditions on FCC approval of LightSquared operations. We also added information on the commerce-justice-science appropriations act, which has report language referring to LightSquared interference.

House Passes Defense Appropriations

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:27:50 -0400

We updated our funding tracker to reflect Friday's passage of the defense appropriations bill in the House.

Correction

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:23:05 -0400

We incorrectly reported that the Senate authorizers recommended $162.5 million in program cuts to GPS III. The correct amount is $40 million, taken from the advance procurement line item. We have updated the website to reflect this.

Details of Senate Defense Authorization Revealed

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:42:43 -0400

We have posted our analysis of S. 1253, the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012. The bill recommends a $40 million cut and $122.5 million rescission for GPS III, and requires a review of GPS interference from commercial communications services.

Late June Newsletter Released

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:30:18 -0400

We just issued a second congressional newsletter for the month of June, covering yesterday's hearing on LightSquared interference to GPS, the latest GPS appropriations, and more.

LightSquared Provision Added to FCC's Appropriation Bill

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:18:09 -0400

We have updated our legislation section to include a third bill on Capitol Hill addressing LightSquared interference to GPS. On June 23, House appropriators inserted a LightSquared-related amendment to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act for FY 2012, which funds the FCC.

Agriculture Legislation Cites GPS Interference Concern

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:38:44 -0400

On June 16, the House passed the Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (H.R. 2112). The report to accompany the bill highlights the importance of GPS to farmers and ranchers and directs USDA to weigh in with the FCC on the GPS interference concerns posed by LightSquared.

Senate Committee Passes Defense Authorization

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:32:05 -0400

On June 16, the Senate Armed Services Committee passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012. It includes a provision requiring DoD to review and assess interference to military GPS receivers.

Appropriators Move to Rescind FY11 GPS III Funding

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:49:06 -0400

On June 14, the House Appropriations Committee reported its FY 2012 defense appropriations bill (H.R. 2219), including the previously reported program cuts proposed at the subcommittee level. We have also learned that the subcommittee and full committee recommended a $122.5 million rescission of FY 2011 funds that were already appropriated for GPS III. This amount represents the entire line item for FY 2011 GPS III satellite procurement.

House Appropriators Propose Cuts to GPS III, Add-on to IIF

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:04:38 -0400

The House Appropriations Committee has released the DoD appropriations bill that passed the Defense Subcommittee on June 1. The bill would cut GPS IIIB development by $50 million and cut OCX development by $48 million, while adding $40 million to GPS IIF procurement. The full committee is marking up this bill today; we will post results as soon as they become available.

Early June Newletter Released

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:09:01 -0400

We just posted the latest issue of the "GPS Tracker" newsletter, containing three stories related to GPS interference from the LightSquared wireless network.

Amended Defense Authorization Bill Takes Harder Line on LightSquared Issue

Fri, 3 Jun 2011 14:17:57 -0400

The defense authorization act that passed the House last week included stronger language regarding GPS interference from commercial communications services like the LightSquared network. The amended bill prevents the FCC from authorizing such services until the FCC determines that the GPS interference is resolved. We have updated our FY12 funding page to reflect the amended House bill, the introduction of a Senate version, and the House subcommittee markup of the defense appropriations bill on June 1.

Defense Authorization Clears House

Fri, 27 May 2011 10:25:58 -0400

The House of Representatives passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act on May 26. The bill authorizes full funding for the GPS program, requires congressional notification of GPS interference from communication systems, and repeals the biennial GPS report.

House Committee Passes Defense Authorization Bill

Wed, 18 May 2011 10:44:36 -0400

We have updated the FY 2012 funding page with details about the National Defense Authorization Act, which recommends full funding for GPS and includes other GPS-related provisions.

April Newsletter Released

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:57:55 -0400

We just issued the April 2011 edition of "GPS Tracker," our periodic newsletter for congressional staff and other policymakers interested in GPS. If you are not on the distribution list but wish to subscribe, please contact Steven.Sidorek@PNT.gov.

FY 2011 Funding Act Includes $1.032B for GPS

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:32:11 -0400

The final funding act for Fiscal Year 2011 includes full funding for all GPS program items in the defense budget, except the Next-Generation Operational Control Segment (OCX). OCX received $356.867 million, a cut of $25 million compared to the President's request. The act reduced funding for FAA Facilities and Equipment by $233.8 million compared to the request. It is unclear at this time whether the civil GPS, WAAS, and GBAS funding lines, which are part of that account, will be affected.

President Requests $1.462B for GPS in FY 2012

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 10:59:21 -0500

We have analyzed the President's budget request for FY 2012 and summarized the line items relevant to the GPS program on our website.

Defense Authorization Becomes Law

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 14:41:47 -0500

On January 7, the President signed H.R. 6523 into law, providing a FY 2011 authorization for DoD. This stripped-down version of the legislation contains only one provision related to GPS, concerning military equipage.

Congress Reorganizes Space Laws

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:50:14 -0500

On December 18, the President signed H.R. 3237, establishing a new Title 51 of the U.S. Code, "National and Commercial Space Programs." Title 51 consolidates multiple pieces of previously existing space-related legislation, including language on the promotion of GPS standards.

New Defense Authorization Bill Moves Forward

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 16:14:31 -0500

On December 17, the House passed a revised defense authorization bill to replace the previous versions. It is now under consideration in the Senate. The new bill contains only one GPS-related provision: the Senate's requirement that DoD purchase only M-Code capable user equipment after FY2017.

Coast Guard Authorization Becomes Law

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 10:25:55 -0400

We have updated our "Other Bills and Laws" page to reflect the President's signature of the Coast Guard authorization bill into law. The legislation requires a report on the need for a supplemental positioning system to back up GPS.

Notice to Website and RSS Feed Users

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:00:59 -0400

NOTE: We apologize for the recent delays and outages users have experienced when accessing the PNT website and RSS feeds. We have made changes to address the problem, but they require users to update their bookmarks and RSS subscriptions. Bookmark http://www.pnt.gov instead of http://pnt.gov to reach the website, and subscribe to http://www.pnt.gov/policy/legislation/rss.xml instead of http://pnt.gov/policy/legislation/rss.xml for the congressional news feed. These changes should make the web content load faster.

Congress Requests Report on Need for GPS Backup

Tue, 5 Oct 2010 15:25:46 -0400

On September 30, Congress passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010, including a reporting requirement for DHS and the Coast Guard to complete a study on "whether a single, domestic system is needed as a back-up navigation system to the Global Positioning System." The measure is now on the President's desk.

September Newsletter Released

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:18:07 -0400

We just issued the September 2010 edition of "GPS Tracker," our periodic newsletter for congressional staff and other policymakers interested in GPS. If you are not on the distribution list but wish to subscribe, please contact Steven.Sidorek@PNT.gov.

Senate Committee Clears Defense Approps Bill

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:04:46 -0400

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed its version of the Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2011 (S. 3800) on September 16. The legislation allocates $1.057 billion to the Air Force to fund the GPS program, meeting the President’s budget request. The Senate panel also fully funded the High Integrity GPS (HIGPS) project, commonly known as iGPS.

Senate Subcommittee Passes Defense Funding Bill

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:07:28 -0400

The Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee passed its bill on September 14. The full committee will mark it up this afternoon. We will provide details when they become available.

Legislative Update on LORAN-C

Mon, 2 Aug 2010 14:55:29 -0400

We updated our page on LORAN-C legislation. In May 2010, the Senate passed a new version of the Coast Guard authorization bill that removes all reference to LORAN. Their previous version (from Oct 2009) called for upgrading LORAN-C to eLORAN, but in the intervening months, LORAN-C was shut down.

July Newsletter Released

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:52:51 -0400

We just issued the July 2010 edition of "GPS Tracker," our periodic newsletter for congressional staff and other policymakers interested in GPS. If you are not on the distribution list but wish to subscribe, please contact Steven.Sidorek@PNT.gov.

THUD Bill Clears House

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:49:10 -0400

Last night, the House passed its Transportation-HUD appropriations bill, including the civil funding for GPS, WAAS, LAAS, and inland NDGPS. Visit our website to view the updated PNT program funding status table.

House Subcommittee Passes Defense Funding Bill

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:01:39 -0400

The Defense Appropriations Subcommittee of the House passed its appropriations bill today, including funding for the main GPS program. We will post specific details once the report becomes available (after the full committee markup). The full committee markup of the DHS funding bill was postponed from today to a date TBD.

Senate Committee Marks for Civil GPS, WAAS, and NDGPS

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:13:28 -0400

The Senate Appropriations Committee has finally released its report to accompany S. 3644, the Transportation-HUD bill they passed last week. We have updated the funding table with the funding levels for Civil GPS, WAAS, and NDGPS. Funding for LAAS (GBAS) is unclear because it is part of a larger account called NextGen Flexible Terminals and Airports that received a $16 million cut.

New Line Item Increases GBAS/LAAS Funding

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:28:09 -0400

The House Appropriations Committee's report on the THUD bill includes a new line item, Ground-Based Augmentation Systems, funded at $10.1 million. This is in addition to the fully funded GBAS (or LAAS) program within the NextGen Flexible Terminals and Airports line item. The extra funds are for the procurement of three additional GBAS units. The report includes a 90-day reporting requirement for FAA.

House Appropriators Boost NDGPS Funding

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:16:06 -0400

The House Appropriations Committee report on the THUD bill recommends $9.4 million for the inland component of the Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System (NDGPS), compared to the President's request of $7.6 million. The committee added $1.8 million to the $2 million request for equipment recapitalization.

Several House Appropriations Mark-Ups Taking Place This Week

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:14:51 -0400

The House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee is expected to mark-up its FY11 spending bill on July 27. The FY11 Homeland Security Appropriations Act will be marked-up by the House Appropriations Committee on the same day. Finally, the full House is expected to consider the FY11 THUD Appropriations bill (H.R. 5850) on July 29. Updates will be provided throughout the week at PNT.gov.

Senate Appropriators Fully Fund CORS

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:28:03 -0400

We have updated the funding chart to reflect the Senate Appropriations Committee's full funding of the "Geodesy" line item within NOAA, which includes $3.5 million for the U.S. network of Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS). We also added the bill number with a link to more information at LOC.gov.

Senate Appropriators Call for GPS Backup Study

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:04:23 -0400

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed its version of the FY 2011 DHS appropriations bill on July 15. The report to accompany the bill includes text calling on DHS to prepare an analysis of alternatives that could serve as a backup to GPS. The study is due within 90 days of the enactment of the bill. We updated our funding webpage with this information, including a link to the committee report. We also updated the page to reflect yesterday's passage of the THUD and CJS bills at the Senate committee level.

House Appropriators Fully Fund Civil GPS Requirements

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:50:27 -0400

We have confirmed the funding levels set by the House Appropriations Committee for civil GPS requirements, LAAS, and Inland NDGPS. We updated our funding status chart to show all three programs as fully funded. As previously reported, WAAS received a $3 million cut.

Senate Subcommittee Marks Up THUD Bill

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:58:25 -0400

The Transportation and HUD Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee passed their version of the THUD funding bill this morning. The full committee is scheduled to mark it up tomorrow. We will provide an update with program details after the bill is reported out of committee.

House Appropriators Pass FY11 THUD Bill Including Civil GPS Funding

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:27:33 -0400

The House Appropriations Committee passed the FY11 THUD bill by voice vote on June 20. It appears that the committee cut $3 million from the WAAS program. More information about the other PNT-related funding lines will come when the committee report is released in a few days. We have also updated the details about the funding request for GPS procurement on our website.

House Subcommittee Marks Up THUD Bill

Fri, 2 Jul 2010 10:56:35 -0400

The Transportation/HUD Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee marked up its FY 2011 bill yesterday. The bill includes civil funding for the GPS, WAAS, LAAS, and NDGPS programs. It appears that the Facilities and Equipment funding line, which contains the programs above, met the President's budget request. We will send out full funding details for the programs when the report is released.

Details of Senate Defense Authorization Bill Released

Tue, 8 Jun 2010 11:47:40 -0400

We have updated the congressional page of PNT.gov to include provisions recommended by the authorizers in their May 27 mark-up. Of particular interest is the addition of a $10 million "mini-GPS satellite" study.

House Passes Defense Authorization Bill

Tue, 1 Jun 2010 11:28:03 -0400

The House of Representatives passed the FY 2011 National Defense Authorization Act on May 28.

Defense Authorization Bill Clears Senate Committee

Fri, 28 May 2010 12:19:38 -0400

The Senate Armed Services Committee passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2011 on May 27. Like the House version, it zeroes out funding for the High Integrity GPS (HIGPS or iGPS) project.

Senate Armed Services Committee to Mark Up Defense Bill on May 25

Mon, 24 May 2010 16:27:52 -0400

We updated the funding bill status table with the markup information. We also added a link to the House report language on iGPS.

Defense Authorization Bill Clears Committee Level in House

Thu, 20 May 2010 15:13:59 -0400

The House Armed Services Committee passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2011 on May 19. It funds the GPS program within the Air Force but cuts funding for the Navy's High Integrity GPS (HIGPS or iGPS) program.