House Appropriators Move to Block NextNav Proposal

House appropriators are trying to block federal regulators from implementing one company’s plan for a GPS backup, fearing interference on RFID chips and tolling systems. The House Appropriations Committee cleared a bill on April 21 that included the Federal Communications Commission’s fiscal year 2027 budget. The committee adopted an amendment from Rep. David Joyce (R-OH) that would prevent any of the agency’s money from going toward implementing the plan. The proposal at issue comes from NextNav, a geolocation company asking the FCC to alter the 902-928 MegaHertz (MHz) band to give the company 15 megahertz in support of a terrestrial GPS backup and 5G broadband. It’s already one of the main license holders.