United States GPS Industry Council Welcomes New White House GPS Policy

The United States GPS Industry Council
(USGIC) welcomes the announcement of the new Positioning, Navigation and
Timing (PNT) Policy signed by President Bush. The policy sets forth a forward-
looking framework for the management of GPS and its augmentations. As the
second Presidential statement in less than a decade, the PNT policy
demonstrates U.S. foresight in shaping the global environment to meet the
dynamic needs of GPS users worldwide.

The new policy updates the foundation laid by the 1996 Presidential
Decision Directive (PDD) on GPS. It maintains an unambiguous U.S. commitment
to the essential principles of open access, free of direct user fees, for
civilian users worldwide. The PNT policy recognizes the importance of
protecting the radio spectrum from interference, in which GPS and other
satellite navigation services operate. This U.S. policy addresses interaction
with other countries’ PNT services, including Russia’s Glonass and Europe’s
Galileo systems. In addition, the U.S. Government commits to continued
technological improvements, such as GPS Modernization.

“Today information technologies arrive at a rapid rate. Sustaining growth
long-term is the real challenge. This directive demonstrates that a stable
policy-making process exists and is one that can handle future challenges,”
said Charles R. Trimble, USGIC Chairman. “GPS continues to be a model success
story as a result of careful policy decisions such as this announcement by the
President today. The real significance is that users worldwide can be
confident that GPS will continue to grow and evolve to meet their needs as a
global information utility.”

“This is an exciting period for the GPS industry,” said Mike Swiek, USGIC
Executive Director. “PNT applications are becoming incorporated into the
fabric of our daily lives. With the addition of new GPS capabilities, and the
eventual emergence of new PNT systems from Europe and Japan, it is clear that
manufacturers and users will have a staggering choice of positioning
solutions. It is reassuring that the U.S. Government is taking clear steps to
stay ahead of the curve in managing this vital resource.”

Established in 1991, the United States GPS Industry Council (USGIC) is the
leading organization worldwide representing the interests of the satellite
navigation industry. The USGIC is a collaborative model of industry,
government, and users working together to make GPS and satellite navigation a
global technology success, and a key component in the global information
technology infrastructure. Council members include GPS satellite
manufacturers, military and commercial GPS receiver manufacturers, GPS user
associations, and educational institutions. Through its strong relations with
similar GPS councils overseas, USGIC serves as a technical information
resource to US policy makers, as well as government agencies and legislative
offices worldwide.