Editor’s Note: The below information was recently posted on GPS.gov. The United States continues to progress toward fulfilling the commitments of the Bush and Obama administrations on this issue.
News from GPS.gov
Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2017
More info:
BILL
Rep. Duncan Hunter introduced H.R. 2518, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2017 on May 18, 2017. Section 411, titled “Backup Global Positioning System”, proposes that:
(a) eLORAN.—Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall provide for the establishment, sustainment, and operation of a reliable land-based enhanced LORAN, or eLORAN, positioning, navigation, and timing system.
(b) Purpose.—The purpose of the system established under subsection (a) is to provide a complement to, and backup for, the Global Positioning System (in this section referred to as ‘GPS’) to ensure the availability of uncorrupted and nondegraded positioning, navigation, and timing signals for military and civilian users in the event that GPS signals are corrupted, degraded, unreliable, or otherwise unavailable.
The bill goes on to prescribe the requirements of the system and how it is to be implemented. The legislation also establishes reporting requirements. VIEW AT CONGRESS.GOV
NEW The accompanying report from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee provides further explanation of Section 411 and expresses the committee’s concerns in this area. VIEW SOURCE (600 KB PDF)
NEW The report also proposes $200 million in “Capital Spending for PNT System” in FY 2018-2022 and provides an extensive discussion of the estimated costs and potential revenue sharing. VIEW SOURCE (600 KB PDF)
The Senate version of the Coast Guard bill (S. 1129) does not include a similar provision.
