[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 86 (Friday, May 3, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19154-19155]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09092]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary of Transportation

[DOT-OST-2019-0051]


Demonstration of Backup and Complementary Positioning, 
Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Capabilities of Global Positioning System 
(GPS)

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Request for information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is planning to 
conduct a field demonstration of technologies with a Technology 
Readiness Level (TRL) of six or higher, as described in the Federal 
Highway Administration Technology Readiness Level Guidebook,\1\ that 
are capable of providing backup positioning, navigation, and/or timing 
services to critical infrastructure (CI) in the event of a temporary 
disruption to GPS. This demonstration effort also is expected to 
encompass technologies capable of providing complementary PNT functions 
to GPS by either expanding PNT capabilities, including cross checks, or 
extending them to GPS or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-
denied or degraded user environments. DOT is issuing this Request for 
Information (RFI) to seek levels of interest and additional information 
from PNT technology vendors on participation in the demonstration. The 
information requested can be found in the supplemental information 
section of this RFI.
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    \1\ Federal Highway Administration Exploratory Advanced Research 
Program Technology Readiness Level Guidebook, FHWA-HRT-17-047, 
September 2017.

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DATES: Responses should be filed by June 3, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may file responses identified by the docket number DOT-
OST-2019-0051 by any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room 
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Fax: (202) 493-2251.
    Instructions: You must include the agency name and docket number 
DOT-OST-2019-0051 at the beginning of your submission. All submissions 
received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, 
including any personal information provided, unless proprietary and 
other sensitive information is so marked with requested disposition 
instructions.
    Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 
submissions received in any of our dockets by the name of the 
individual submitting the document (or signing the submission, if 
submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). 
You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act statement in the Federal 
Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78), or you may visit 
http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov.
    Docket: For access to the docket and comments received, go to 
http://www.regulations.gov or to the street address listed above. 
Follow the online instructions for accessing the docket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen L. Van Dyke, Director, 
Positioning, Navigation, and Timing & Spectrum Management, Office of 
the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20590, 202-366-
3180, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Overview

    As a co-chair and member of the National Executive Committee for 
Space-based PNT, a provider and user of U.S. critical infrastructure 
(CI) services,

[[Page 19155]]

and as the lead civil agency for PNT in the Federal Government, DOT is 
interested in leveraging PNT service technology initiatives currently 
being undertaken by industry.
    Section 1606 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2018 (Pub. L. 115-91), directed the Secretary of Defense, the 
Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Homeland Security to 
jointly develop a plan for carrying out a backup GPS capability and 
complementary PNT demonstration.
    This RFI outlines the information requested for DOT, in 
coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and Department of 
Defense, to conduct a demonstration of candidate technologies capable 
of serving as a backup and/or complement to GPS in order to ensure 
resilient PNT services for U.S. CI operations.

2. Technical Information

    DOT is seeking the following information from technology vendors 
for the purpose of conducting a successful demonstration, and to 
develop an efficient schedule for scenario development, deployment of 
demonstration systems, and completion of data collection and analysis. 
The respondents are being asked to provide the information below with 
respect to their proposed PNT backup technology(ies), and may also 
provide supplemental information that they believe to be relevant to a 
successful demonstration if they so choose. The information requested 
consists of the following:
    1. A description of the technology(ies) and CI application(s), 
including cybersecurity and other security measures inherent in the 
system, and if the technology(ies) is/are for timing only, location 
only, or both timing and location.
    2. Identify the TRL for the proposed technology(ies).
    3. Identify whether the vendor is willing to participate in the 
demonstration by providing material (hardware and user equipment when 
applicable), engineering (technology deployment, configuration, and 
data collection support), and logistical support during the preparation 
and execution phases of the demonstration.
    4. Identify whether this support is contingent on the government 
providing some funding.
    5. Provide information about the needed infrastructure (e.g., 
power, network, etc.) that would be necessary to deploy the vendor 
technology(ies) at a DOT-furnished demonstration site.
    6. Identify any constraints on participation, e.g., lead-time, 
demonstration timelines, funding, infrastructure (HVAC, power, shelter, 
and equipment space, etc.).
    7. Identify radiofrequency bands and transmit power levels in terms 
of peak Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP). This is needed 
during the planning phase depending on the selected demonstration 
site(s).
    8. Identify where the technology(ies) is/are currently deployed and 
in use, if applicable. Provide location, date of deployment, and if the 
deployment is available for examination.
    Abbreviations should be defined either on first use or in a 
glossary. Charts and graphics should have quantitative data clearly 
labeled. Assumptions should be clearly identified. Proprietary and 
other sensitive information should be so marked with requested 
disposition instructions. Submitted responses shall be UNCLASSIFIED 
unless prior arrangements are made with the Contracting Office. 
Submitted materials will not be returned.
    Responses are limited to fifteen (15) 8.5'' x 11'' pages with 1'' 
margins, and 12-point font (Arial or Times New Roman), including any 
appendices and other supporting materials. Pages must be numbered and 
submitted electronically via email as Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat 
files. Please send responses to the contact information provided in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of the notice.
    DOT will be developing a demonstration plan taking into 
consideration the information received pursuant to responses received 
under this RFI. This is an RFI only. This request is for planning 
purposes, and shall not be construed as a solicitation announcement, 
invitation for bids, request for proposals, quotes or an indication 
that the Government will contract for the items contained in this 
notice.
    Additionally, responses will be treated only as information for the 
Government to consider. Respondents will not be entitled to payment for 
direct or indirect costs that are incurred in responding to this RFI. 
Further, this request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals 
or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. 
Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, 
restricted or competition sensitive information contained in their 
responses.

    Issued This Day of April 29, 2019, In Washington, DC.
Diana Furchtgott-Roth,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department 
of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2019-09092 Filed 5-2-19; 8:45 am]
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