If GPS Fails, BPS Can Help Defend Nation’s Critical Infrastructure

Most of us rely on GPS every day, whether it's for navigating to a new place or tracking a delivery. Beyond navigation, GPS acts as a universal clock, providing the precise timing that powers critical infrastructure like the power grid, emergency response, wireless communications and financial systems.

But the satellite signals that GPS depends on are vulnerable to jamming and spoofing, key components of a cybersecurity attack. A GPS failure could be catastrophic to our nation, putting public safety at risk and costing hundreds of billions of dollars in potential damages.

NAB's Technology team has invented a reliable, complementary service to GPS called the Broadcast Positioning System, or BPS.™️ Utilizing the ATSC 3.0 standard, broadcasters can transmit precise timing signals - BPS - from their towers.

BPS works independently of GPS, internet or cellular connectivity. If GPS fails, BPS still works.

As the television industry works to rapidly deploy ATSC 3.0 signals nationwide, we need Congress' support to expedite the transition, ensuring BPS can help defend our nation's critical infrastructure, economic security and public safety.

Watch the video below and read this white paper to learn how BPS can augment GPS by providing a complementary timing signal that can help detect jamming, spoofing or other types of more acute interference.