The classic statist question is “Who will build the roads?” You and I are always disappointed with their lack of imagination on how a free society would run. I am here to propose how a free society would provide one of the services currently provided by the state. We should move towards a free society even if we can not answer every objection.
The question is, in a free society, “Who would build the Global Positioning System”
Currently GPS is the stereotypical public good. It is non-rivalrous and non-exclusionary. It is easy to see that anyone person using GPS does not reduce the amount of navigation in the world and there is basically no way to stop any person from using it. It is provided without charge by the Federal government and funded by our tax dollars.
The simplest method of funding is statists somewhere else. The US GPS is the dominate global system. The Russian government also has a complete functioning systems, which is only slightly less accurate. China and the EU have systems with limited functionality and plans to expand globally. So if Texas were to secede there would still be state maintaining GPS.
However, if there is a peaceful dissolution of the US then GPS would likely be auctioned off and held privately. There are many groups that have strong interest in ensuring continued availability of GPS for example, trucking, aviation, shipping, land surveyors. It is also possible that an entrepreneur like Richard Branson or Elon Musk would acquire the system. There are many examples of global satellite constellations that are privately maintained, for example Iridium Satellite phones. After it was placed in private hands, the new owner of GPS would likely provide navigation to the world for free for sometime. It is possible the transition from state control to private control would be seamless. It is also possible that GPS would exist in this state for a very long time. Industry could create a cartel and put Industrial pressure on business that did not help pay for their portion of GPS. And the rest of us would enjoy it for free.
However I think the true long term method of GPS would be a transition from free broadcast to a subscription broadcast. All of us are familiar with satellite TV and satellite radio, so it is not difficult to imagine a satellite system base on subscription. GPS already has a version of this in its system, designed to prevent the military foes of the US from using the system in a time of war. Selective availability has been turned off since the year 2000. The new owner of GPS would likely introduce subscriptions charges. Obviously industries that depend on navigation would pay subscription charges to use GPS. For individuals GPS would most likely be included in your cellphone bill or with new car purchase. For individuals desiring a handheld GPS acquiring a subscription account would be a trivial task. Subscriptions models could be used to convert any existing satellite navigation systems. Additionally this model could be used to launch an entirely new constellations.
Even though there might be some disruption global navigation could be provided by private corporations. And this is my answer to “Who would build the Global Positioning System?”