House Lawmakers Express Concerns About Lower 900 MHz Band

On June 4, 2026, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Communications & Technology held a hearing on U.S. positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities. While most witnesses discussed viable GPS backup options, NextNav CEO Mariam Sorond faced sharp criticism from fellow panelists and members of Congress regarding the company’s proposal to reconfigure the Lower 900 MHz band.

J. David Grossman of the Consumer Technology Association highlighted the band’s critical security and life-safety uses, and SIA’s concerns with NextNav’s proposal were cited in written testimony from Harold Feld of Public Knowledge. Throughout the hearing, members of Congress raised concerns from constituents who would be negatively affected by NextNav’s proposal. The hearing concluded with pointed questioning from Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) on the risks to public safety.

Rep. Cammack pressed the core issue: Why should Congress or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) accept the risk of disrupting existing critical infrastructure users when alternative technologies are advancing that do not require such a sweeping restructuring of spectrum rights? Mariam Sorond’s response did not adequately address these concerns, relying on testing in California and prior operations that have not occurred at the high-power levels NextNav’s proposal would require. Those operations would be roughly 1,600 times more powerful than the life-safety and security devices currently operating in the band—levels that would necessitate removing the band’s existing protections for unlicensed devices.

SIA will continue urging the FCC to dismiss the NextNav proposal and preserve the current protections for the Lower 900 MHz band, which supports millions of public safety and security systems. We look forward to working with Congress and the FCC on credible, non-interfering PNT solutions.

SIA’s letter to House Energy & Commerce leadership is available here.