So, take into account the fact that many, many people own GPS units, and the fact that many of those units are truly portable (as in can be carried in your pocket and powered with AA batteries). I have a unit that sits on the dash of my truck that is of this type, and it is as accurate as those unit we had in militery usage 20 years ago (within about 3 feet using the WAAP satellites). Because it can be set for any type of usage (nautical, topo, highway, even aviation) it would represent a truly valuable tool in the event of any civil unrest in which a defender of the constitution might need to navigate without benefit of map, or might need to locate a specified target or cache.
Now... Consider the fact that we know that Washington has the power to shut down landline comms, internet, cell comms, and to some extent radio comms (even that can be eliminated over time through triangulation and arrest of the operator of said equipment, or via jamming)... Why wouldn't Washington welcome the idea of being able to shut down and/or interfere with GPS? Sort of a "The peasants are on the rise? Call up LightSquared and tell them to max out the power... We can't have the commoners going cross country on us- they might get around a checkpoint..."
For those that know how to use one properly, a GPS can perform an awesome amount of tasks. Have at it folks, but let's keep it grounded on earth and leave the alien abductors out of it, okay? :-)
Please excuse the typos... Big thumbs on a little, tiny phone’s keyboard!
” Why wouldn’t Washington welcome the idea of being able to shut down and/or interfere with GPS?”
They can. They can turn off the civilian channels within seconds. They can even change the resolution to be a mile off if they wanted.