Serge Morel        P.O. Box 17222     Sarasota, FL   34276-0222                 Fax:   (941) 378- 8008     e-mail:   serg@gte.net 9/20/2000 Page 205 of 579 The news conference was the latest in a series of White House press events designed to highlight the degree to which the administration is on the Cutting edge of high-tech commercial communications developments. It included a slide show, film clips of GPS users, and an outdoor demonstration of a car fitted with GPS equipment. Gore said that under the new policy, the government will collect no fees from commercial users of the constellation of 24 satellites that produce the signals. The Pentagon has invested $5 billion in the satellite network and expects to spend another $5 billion by the end of the decade. Commercial use has been limited by the Defense Department, which developed the system and operates it, out of national security concerns. The U.S. military views the GPS technology as an important battlefield advantage. In the 1991 Persian Gulf War, for example, GPS receivers mounted on U.S. tanks and other combat vehicles enabled the Army to navigate the Iraqi desert with precision. Among other things, the military uses GPS to provide more precise guidance to missiles and shells. Coming soon: Global navigation for consumers Military satellite system to go public       March 29, 1996       Web posted at: 11 p.m. EST   From Correspondent Carl Rochelle      WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Within the next decade or so, civilians might be able to find their way around by accessing the Pentagon's sophisticated global navigation system.   The Clinton administration announced Friday that the government will remove military restrictions from Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology, the powerful navigation tool that has been mostly restricted to the U.S. military. The announcement clears the way for companies to start working on bringing the satellite technology to the general public. The satellite system, also known as GPS, is already in use in some commercial applications. Rescue squad vehicles have it, some aircraft and ships use it for navigation, and land surveyors are also finding GPS a helpful tool. But for the general public, GPS systems are still an expensive novelty. The technology has enormous untapped commercial potential -- it could lead to pocket-sized devices that will tell you where you parked your car, then tell you how to get home. To protect national interests, the Pentagon impairs the navigational signals released by the satellites so as to limit their use outside the military. The satellites are considered a powerful military tool, and were credited for much of the success U.S. troops enjoyed in Desert Storm, where GPS helped them navigate around the desert. GPS was also essential to the rescue of Air Force fighter pilot Scott O'Grady after he was shot down over Bosnia.