Cybersecurity Policy Report, Rep. Gallagher Seeks FCC Answers on Russia, China Satellites, (Mar 13, 2024)

By Paul Kirby

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R., Wis.), chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, has written FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to get answers on the reported use of Chinese and Russian navigation satellites by U.S. cellphones and other devices.

In his letter, which was dated Monday, the congressman requested “information concerning the reception and processing of signals from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) operated by unauthorized entities other than the United States government and the European Union, including the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia, by mobile devices operating in the United States.”

“Current FCC rules permit mobile and other GNSS receivers to receive and process signals from the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) and any foreign GNSS that has been approved through a process the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted in 2011. To date, only the European Galileo GNSS has been approved. However, we have become aware that U.S. mobile phones and other connected devices are receiving and processing signals from the PRC BeiDou and Russian GLONASS GNSS constellations, in violation of the FCC’s rules,” the letter added.

“It appears one reason that carriers and device and component manufacturers are using these unauthorized signals is that the U.S. is woefully behind in its deployment and activation of its next generation of GPS satellites. However, Galileo provides access to a full constellation of the most advanced GNSS technologies and is operated by our close allies in the European Union. As such, there is little need for the FCC to waive its own rule to allow U.S. devices to use unauthorized foreign signals,” Mr. Gallagher said.

The letter asked Ms. Rosenworcel to respond to a number of questions by March 30.

Among other things, it asked whether the agency is aware of U.S. devices receiving or processing signals from GNSS constellations that aren’t permitted to service the U.S., whether such action violates FCC rules and who is responsible for preventing such action, whether the Commission has acted to enforce its rules, and why no additional constellations have been approved for operation in the U.S.

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