ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Jan. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today announced its support for the immediate passage of the National Resiliency and Timing Security Act of 2017, which was recently introduced under the leadership of Sen. Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Markey (D-Massachusetts). This act seeks to provide for the immediate establishment of an urgently needed backup for the Global Positioning System, commonly known as GPS.

GPS provides critical positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities to virtually every sector of the U.S. economy, from navigation of cars, trucks, ships and planes, to operations of telephone and data communications networks, power plants, stock exchanges and the internet. Were GPS to be disrupted, the ensuing economic impact to the nation would be severe. The successes and benefits of GPS have made it a utility for the nation’s critical infrastructure sectors, but there is no resilient, independent backup system—making GPS a single point of failure.

“This bipartisan act provides for the immediate development and build out of a backup system to increase the resilience of GPS and thereby protect the security of our national critical infrastructure,” said John Costello, Microsemi’s corporate vice president of business development and government relations. “We applaud both Senator Cruz and Senator Markey for introducing this much-needed legislation and strongly support its immediate enactment.”