Broad Coalition Urges FCC to Reject NextNav Spectrum Proposal

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) issued the following statement after leading a broad coalition of 60 businesses and trade associations in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reject a proposal from NextNav that would reconfigure the Lower 900 MHz spectrum band. At stake is a vital ecosystem relied upon by retailers, utilities, airlines, manufacturers, truckers, and security systems that would impact jobs and consumers.  

In a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the coalition expressed support for ongoing efforts to strengthen America's positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities and develop complementary technologies that can provide resilience for GPS-dependent systems. 

At the same time, the organizations urged the FCC to dismiss NextNav's proposal to reconfigure the Lower 900 MHz band, arguing that the change would disrupt an established spectrum ecosystem relied upon by countless domestic industries. The coalition warned that the proposal would impose significant costs on businesses and consumers while jeopardizing existing services and infrastructure. 

"The breadth and depth of this opposition reflects the simple reality that NextNav's proposal would impose irreversible harm on the American economy in exchange for speculative benefits that can be achieved through other means, at lower cost." 

The coalition letter argues that the Lower 900 MHz band has supported a diverse and productive wireless ecosystem for decades and today underpins technologies and services used throughout the economy. Businesses, public infrastructure operators, and consumers have invested billions of dollars in systems that depend on the band's longstanding operating framework.  

The coalition's concerns mirror those raised by RILA in comments submitted ahead of this week's House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing on positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities. In its statement, RILA warned that NextNav's proposal could disrupt a spectrum band that supports critical retail, logistics, transportation, and infrastructure technologies while increasing costs for businesses and consumers.

"The Lower 900 MHz band quietly supports technologies that retailers, supply chains, utilities, transportation systems, and consumers rely on every day. Protecting this band is about preserving the infrastructure that keeps goods moving, stores operating, and critical services connected,” said RILA’s Justin Goldberger, vice president of technology policy. “The FCC can and should continue pursuing GPS resilience, but not by disrupting a proven spectrum ecosystem that already serves businesses and communities across the country." 

The organizations also noted that alternative approaches to GPS resilience are already being evaluated through ongoing federal programs and testing efforts. The coalition urged policymakers to pursue technology-neutral solutions that strengthen PNT resilience without disrupting existing spectrum users. 

RILA was joined on the letter by organizations representing the retail, technology, transportation, manufacturing, security, utility, and other sectors of the American economy. Together, the groups urged the FCC to reject the petition and continue pursuing approaches to GPS resilience that protect existing users while advancing national security and economic priorities. 

Read the coalition letter here.  

Read RILA’s letter here.  

Signers of the letter include:  

Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) 

AIM Global 

Airlines for America 

Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) 

Alarm Industry Communications Coalition 

American Gas Association 

American Petroleum Institute 

American Trucking Associations 

Association of Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI)  

California Alarm Association  

California Trucking Association 

Cargo Airline Association 

Commercial Drone Alliance (CDA) 

Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) 

Consumer Technology Association (CTA) 

Dynamic Spectrum Alliance 

E-ZPass 

Edison Electric Institute 

Electronic Security Association 

FMI - The Food Industry Association  

General Aviation Manufacturers Association  

GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA) 

GS1 US 

Illinois Trucking Association 

Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) 

International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) 

Interstate Natural Gas Association of America  

Iowa Motor Truck Association 

Kentucky Trucking Association 

Louisiana Motor Transport Association 

Maryland Motor Truck Association 

Minnesota Trucking Association 

Missouri Trucking Association 

Montana Trucking Association 

National Association of Manufacturers 

National Retail Federation  

Nevada Trucking Association 

New Jersey Motor Truck Association 

North Carolina Trucking Association 

Ohio Trucking Association  

Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association 

PrePass Safety Alliance 

RAIN Alliance 

Regional Airline Association 

Retail Industry Leaders Association  

Rhode Island Trucking Association 

Security Industry Association  

Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA)  

South Carolina Trucking Association 

TechNet 

Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) 

Tennessee Trucking Association 

Texas Trucking Association 

Thales Group 

The Monitoring Association 

Trucking Association of New York 

U.S. Chamber of Commerce 

Vertical Aviation International 

WI-FI Alliance 

WifiForward 

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Media Contact: press@rila.org

RILA is the U.S. trade association for leading retailers. We convene decision-makers, advocate for the industry, and promote operational excellence and innovation. Our aim is to elevate a dynamic industry by transforming the environment in which retailers operate.

RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $2.7 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs, and hundreds of thousands of stores, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers domestically and abroad.