The Trump administration is seeking to prevent China and other bad actors from crippling American infrastructure by undermining GPS systems. Despite the importance of this goal, a trade group run by Trump haters and a host of Chinese companies are trying to defeat these reforms.
In 2020, Trump issued an executive order on the subject of GPS technology, noting that, “Because of the widespread adoption of PNT services [positioning, navigation, and timing, which includes GPS], the disruption or manipulation of these services has the potential to adversely affect the national and economic security of the United States.” The order adds, “the Federal Government shall engage the public and private sectors to identify and promote the responsible use of PNT services.”
The Biden administration did little to advance this issue, but Trump’s FCC Chairman, Brendan Carr, has been taking necessary steps forward to use the lower 900 MHz band for technology that can support the current GPS satellite system. On March 5, he announced plans to begin exploring backup alternatives, noting that President Trump called for making a resilient GPS and backup PNT services and a top priority. Carr added, “Continuing to rely so heavily on one system leaves us exposed. Disruptions to GPS have the potential to undermine the nation’s economic and national security.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), now the chairman of the Commerce Committee, also noted the importance of a robust backup for GPS during the first Trump administration, stating:
Currently, there is no domestic back up system to GPS, and crucial infrastructure – including gas stations, medical devices, and ATMs – could shut down and pose immediate threat to life and the economy in the United States should it be disrupted for even just a few hours. It is important both to our national and economic security that we have an alternative GPS timing system.
With the Trump administration and allies in Congress aligned on the importance of not only maintaining GPS but also developing a robust backup system to prevent chaos if GPS satellites or terrestrial equipment fails, it is no surprise that fanatical opponents to Trump and foreign adversaries are leading the charge to thwart efforts to modernize and backstop vital systems. One of the chief opponents of these plans is Dana Goward, a Trump hater who runs the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation.
Goward and his wife have given thousands of dollars to Democratic campaigns, including the Stop Trump PAC in 2024. Goward has tied his hatred of Trump to his positions on GPS backups, writing op-eds with titles like “‘What Trump Got Wrong About Protecting GPS Users and America” and tweeting out articles complaining that “GPS is endangered by a misguided FCC decision made during the Trump administration.” In other pieces he wrote that Trump “failed” on GPS and that “The Trump administration ignored the law.” Goward also co-authored a column with Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) on why his preferred version of a GPS alternative is needed to help Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Goward has been on a crusade to revive technology he was ordered to shut down nearly a decade ago. His push to revive the World War II era technology known as LORAN as an alternative to GPS has brought together some interesting bedfellows seeking to block the U.S. from leapfrogging our adversaries.
Goward’s Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation is a coalition with some businesses that have little concern about protecting America’s interests and instead have numerous Chinese connections. For example, one of its founding members, UrsaNav, suggested the government should subsidize its services to compete against “China and Russia.” Dana Goward similarly said his companies should be subsidized because “I think that European countries and the United States are especially vulnerable because Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and South Korea have alternate navigation systems that transmit from the ground” UrsaNav lists Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea among its clients.
Other Chinese firms are directly lobbying against the Trump administration’s priorities on GPS backup. A group of “companies, representing a diverse range of industries, currently rely on the Lower 900 MHz band” sent a letter to the FCC against Chairman Carr’s proposed reforms because it “could disrupt businesses and undermine reliable communications systems posing systemic risks and affecting millions of Americans.” Several of these companies include Shenzhen Bonondar Technologies and Shenzhen EJEAS Technology. As their names suggest, Shenzhen Love Sense Technology, Shenzhen NEO Electronic, Shenzhen Star Instrument Company, and Shenzen Matkin Technology Company are Chinese.
The hypocrisy of Chinese-connected companies and Democratic donors trying to influence the White House as it helps secure our infrastructure against China and other foreign adversaries shouldn’t fool anyone in Brendan Carr’s FCC and the Donald Trump administration overall.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
