Former Trump Administration Official Removes Article Following Backlash

Diana Fruchtgott-Roth, who was deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Transportation during Trump’s first term, recently found herself in hot water. She led a 2021 DOT report that evaluated various GPS backup technologies and made some compelling observations. According to the study, which assessed 11 different position, navigation, and timing systems, only one vendor—NextNav—proved effective across all necessary use cases.

At the time, Fruchtgott-Roth lauded these findings, emphasizing that they showcased a viable, commercially available technology to support or enhance GPS timing services. The effort was seen as crucial by President Trump for both the national and economic security of the U.S.

Back in 2020, Trump had issued an executive order highlighting the potential risks stemming from disruptions to PNT services, stating that such incidents could significantly impact national security. He insisted on the need for responsible management of these services to ensure the resilience of critical infrastructure.

Interestingly, Fruchtgott-Roth also serves on the advisory board of Tern AI, a company involved in the GPS backup sector, which presents a somewhat different perspective on the issue.

On April 28, an editorial she authored was published in National Review. In this piece, she criticized NextNav’s request to re-license and modernize the 900 MHz spectrum, claiming this action was primarily beneficial to the United Arab Emirates, through an investment firm, and predicted it would greatly disrupt American consumers. This seemed contradictory, especially given her previous emphasis on vulnerability while at the DOT.

Tern AI had only been established in October of the previous year, making her affiliations relevant. Notably, she argued against NextNav’s petition in her op-ed, referencing tests conducted by Plum Consulting and Neology to support her claims about potential interference with unauthorized devices. However, she did not disclose that these tests were funded by clients of her husband, Harold Furchtgott-Roth, a former FCC commissioner and current consultant.

• A February 2026 report indicated it was released “underwritten in part by the RAIN Alliance.”
• A report from April 2025 regarding NextNav mentioned it was “underwritten in part with support from E-ZPass Group and others.” The opinions expressed in the report were noted as solely those of the authors.

Due to the ensuing backlash, Fruchtgott-Roth’s article was removed, and the link to it now directs to a notification that it was deleted at the author’s request.