Challenging Waters Ahead?
In late June, BoatU.S. sent a warning to boaters who use GPS, urging them to prepare for possible signal interference on board and, potentially, the need to purchase new GPS-based equipment.
The warning followed a decision that the Federal Communications Commission made in April, when many boaters were distracted by the Covid-19 pandemic and government shutdowns. The FCC approved plans by the mobile satellite services operator Ligado Networks to build and operate a 5G network in a way that BoatU.S. and other opponents say will interfere with GPS signals—not just on boats, but also in aircraft, military operations and everywhere else that GPS is used.
“We think it was a bad decision by the FCC, and it should be reversed,” David Kennedy, BoatU.S. manager of government affairs, in late June.
