GPS About to Fail? Too Valuable to Yahoo and Google?

According to Bobbie Johnson, Dateline San Francisco May 19, 2009, on the Guardian website, there is a danger that the current global positioning system or GPS infrastructure may start to break down as soon as next year. This could result in system blackouts or even worse, incorrect navigational data.

The system is administered by the U.S. Air Force. Apparently, there have been some major problems in getting replacement satellites in orbit and the USAF is now running nearly 3 years behind schedule.

This is happening at a time when GPS-enabled smartphones and other gadgets that use GPS are more available than ever before.

Tom Coates, the head of Yahoo's Fire Eagle system – which lets users share their location data from their mobile – said he was sceptical that US officials would let the system fall into total disrepair because it was important to so many people and companies.

Well, if the system is so darned important to so many companies and people, why don't they put their darned money where the mouth is and help FUND the system?