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“The radio spectrum is an invisible foundation of modern civilization. Innovation must never come at the expense of reliability, and the pursuit of new technologies must respect the critical infrastructure upon which millions of people already depend. Progress is not measured simply by what we build tomorrow, but by how responsibly we protect what serves us today.” – MJ Martin

Executive Overview

An important regulatory dispute is unfolding in the United States over the future of the 902–928 MHz radio spectrum, commonly called the Lower 900 MHz Band.

In April 2024, NextNav Inc. petitioned the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fundamentally restructure this spectrum band.

NextNav wants to establish a nationwide terrestrial positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) system that complements and provides a backup to the Global Positioning System (GPS), while also supporting commercial 5G wireless services.

The controversy is that this frequency band is already extensively used by utilities, industrial networks, smart meters, wireless sensors, security systems, and other devices.

For Canadian electricity, gas, and water utilities, the proposal deserves attention because many advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems operate in the same 902–928 MHz spectrum.

1. WHAT: What Exactly Is NextNav Proposing?

NextNav proposes reorganizing the existing 26 MHz of spectrum into three principal frequency blocks.

Proposed 902–928 MHz spectrum allocation

Illustration of NextNav’s proposed licensed-service configuration. Unlicensed equipment could remain authorized across the band under applicable rules, but its ability to coexist with 5G operations is disputed.

Frequency – Proposed principal use

– 902–907 MHz – 5 MHz for 5G uplink transmissions

– 907–918 MHz – 11 MHz for remaining Location and Monitoring Service operations

– 918–928 MHz – 10 MHz for 5G downlink transmissions

NextNav proposes exchanging its existing spectrum licences for a nationwide 15 MHz flexible-use authorization.

This is not merely a technical adjustment. It would change how spectrum rights are structured and introduce a potentially powerful new transmission system into a band containing many existing low-power networks.

2. WHO: Who Is Involved?

NextNav Inc. is the petitioner and prospective commercial beneficiary. Its business specializes in location services, including three-dimensional positioning and terrestrial GPS alternatives.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the American regulator responsible for reviewing the petition and deciding whether to initiate formal rulemaking and ultimately change the regulations.

American utilities and critical infrastructure operators are major stakeholders because their AMI, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), and telemetry systems may be affected.

Industry associations representing energy, transportation, security, retail, and telecommunications interests have challenged the proposal, principally over interference, reliability, and replacement costs.

NextNav maintains that its system can coexist with existing technologies. Many incumbent users dispute that engineering conclusion.

3. WHEN: Timeline and Current Status

  • April 16, 2024 NextNav formally files its petition with the FCC.
  • August 6, 2024 The FCC opens a public consultation under WT Docket No. 24-240 and RM-11989.
  • September 5–20, 2024 Initial comments and reply comments are submitted. Utility associations and other incumbent users raise significant objections.
  • March 2025 The FCC initiates a broader inquiry into complementary GPS and PNT technologies under WT Docket No. 25-110.
  • 2025–2026 NextNav submits additional technical coexistence studies. Opponents submit competing interference analyses.
  • September 16, 2026 A coalition of industries announces the SpecTech Alliance to oppose the proposed spectrum changes.
  • October 6, 2026 Major U.S. energy associations ask the Department of Energy to intervene over potential impacts on critical infrastructure.

Pending regulatory decision

As of October 20, 2026, I found no final FCC approval of the NextNav proposal. The petition remains under consideration, with industry reporting indicating that formal rulemaking may be approaching. That is not the same as an approved spectrum reallocation.

4. WHERE: What Geographic Areas Are Affected?

The petition specifically concerns the United States, where NextNav wants authority to use the proposed frequency blocks nationwide.

Canada is a separate regulatory jurisdiction. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), not the FCC, governs Canadian spectrum authorizations.

Canada’s RSS-247 radio equipment standard continues to recognize licence-exempt operations in the 902–928 MHz band.

Nevertheless, Canadian utilities should consider three potential consequences.

First, U.S. transmitters operating close to the Canadian border could create cross-border interference concerns, subject to applicable coordination requirements.

Second, international equipment manufacturers may redesign their 900 MHz radio products in response to changes in the American market.

Third, technologies developed around common North American frequency assignments could face additional interoperability or compatibility challenges.

These are potential consequences, not established effects of an approved deployment.

5. WHY: Why Is NextNav Pursuing This?

There are two important motivations.

National resilience. GPS relies on relatively weak satellite signals that can be jammed, spoofed, or obstructed. A terrestrial alternative could support emergency services, telecommunications synchronization, banking, national security, and transportation during GPS disruptions.

Commercial economics. NextNav argues that a standalone terrestrial PNT network is difficult to finance because GPS services are generally available to users without a direct fee. Integrating PNT into a commercial 5G network could provide the revenue required to construct and maintain nationwide infrastructure.

In simple terms, NextNav wants 5G broadband to help finance a terrestrial GPS alternative.

The opposition is principally concerned that the benefits of introducing a new 5G network may be outweighed by the impact on systems already using the spectrum.

6. Why This Matters to Metercor and Canadian Utilities

For utilities deploying 900 MHz AMI networks, the central engineering concern is the radio link budget.

Potential interference could increase packet errors, reduce effective communications range, require additional collectors or gateways, and compromise network availability.

– Water and gas AMR – Reduced drive-by or fixed-network reception performance

– Electricity AMI – Higher packet loss and degraded mesh reliability

– SCADA telemetry – Communications latency and operational reliability

– Wi-SUN networks – Increased channel contention and degraded network margins where 902–928 MHz is used

– Long-life battery meters – Additional retransmissions and potential battery-life reduction

These outcomes depend on actual transmitter power, antenna characteristics, geography, channel usage, receiver selectivity, and interference conditions. They are risks requiring engineering validation, not inevitable consequences.

The Utilities Technology Council has formally opposed NextNav’s petition because of concerns about widespread interference to AMI and SCADA systems.

More recently, major U.S. utility associations, including the American Public Power Association, Edison Electric Institute, and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, have raised similar concerns.

7. Conclusion

NextNav’s proposal presents a legitimate public-policy challenge. America needs resilient positioning and timing services, but it must also protect the communications infrastructure on which electricity, gas, water, transportation, and public safety depend.

For Canadian utility companies, I recommend monitoring the FCC proceedings, engaging equipment manufacturers about potential interference and future product support, and maintaining contact with ISED regarding cross-border spectrum policy.

One technical distinction is especially important: this petition concerns 902–928 MHz, not the separate 896–901/935–940 MHz licensed 900 MHz broadband band, which is governed by a different FCC proceeding.

Primary References

Question

The important question for the Canadian metering industry is this:

Should the spectrum that supports millions of existing utility communications devices be exposed to a materially different interference environment to accommodate a new national positioning service, or should GPS resilience be achieved using alternative spectrum and technologies?

That question deserves careful technical analysis before regulatory changes are adopted.

About the Author:

Michael Martin is the Vice President of Technology with Metercor Inc., a Smart Meter, IoT, and Smart City systems integrator based in Canada. He has more than 40 years of experience in systems design for applications that use broadband networks, optical fibre, wireless, and digital communications technologies. He is a business and technology consultant. He was a senior executive consultant for 15 years with IBM, where he worked in the GBS Global Center of Competency for Energy and Utilities and the GTS Global Center of Excellence for Energy and Utilities. He is a founding partner and President of MICAN Communications and before that was President of Comlink Systems Limited and Ensat Broadcast Services, Inc., both divisions of Cygnal Technologies Corporation (CYN: TSX).

Martin served on the Board of Directors for TeraGo Inc (TGO: TSX) and on the Board of Directors for Avante Logixx Inc. (XX: TSX.V).  He has served as a Member, SCC ISO-IEC JTC 1/SC-41 – Internet of Things and related technologies, ISO – International Organization for Standardization, and as a member of the NIST SP 500-325 Fog Computing Conceptual Model, National Institute of Standards and Technology. He served on the Board of Governors of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) [now Ontario Tech University] and on the Board of Advisers of five different Colleges in Ontario – Centennial College, Humber College, George Brown College, Durham College, Ryerson Polytechnic University [now Toronto Metropolitan University].  For 16 years he served on the Board of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), Toronto Section. 

He holds three master’s degrees – in business (MBA), communication (MA), and education (MEd). As well, he has three undergraduate diplomas and seven major certifications in business, computer programming, internetworking, project management, media, photography, and communication technology. He has completed over 80 next generation MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) [aka Micro Learning] continuous education programs in a wide variety of topics, including: Economics, Python Programming, Internet of Things, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive systems, Blockchain, Agile, Power BI, Big Data, Design Thinking, Security, Indigenous Canada awareness, and more.

Martin is a volunteer, a photographer, a learner, a technologist, a pilot, a philosophizer, and always, a romantic optimist.