Thanks for the links scurvy, You probably havnt read my previous posts on 'why' the GPS signal maybe turned off, I tend to remove the posts fairly quikly. They were about UA-Vehicles and the miss-use off.
The
Forbes article you quote goes a little vague when it talks of terrorist miss-use of the GPS signal (good reasons I guess) suffice to say that when GPS is eventualy miss-used it will likely be the end of the civy system for a while.
Also, probably not a good idea for Oz to spend money on an airnav system when we dont own or control a core component of the system.
From the
Forbes article -
"We are not planning to degrade GPS, and there are no plans to degrade GPS," says Jason Kim, a GPS board spokesman. "The decision to turn off SA was a serious national policy decision. Obviously it could be overruled, but no one is seriously contemplating that right now."
And why Oz should not rely on a system that can be switched of at the whim of others....
Forbes again -
and re signal loss
... And a signal change could make an already weak economy worse. "Collectively it could have a substantial effect on industries as diverse as aviation, agriculture and municipal transportation," says Frost & Sullivan's Stearns.
Quotes via -
GPS, The War And You - Forbes.com
(I have bolded and underlined parts of the article)