A public survey by the DOT and Homeland Security drew more than 900 responses about whether Loran should be kept operational or shut down. Pending an official tally, a preliminary count indicates that around 93 percent of the responses supported continued operation, divided roughly into 40 percent each from aviation and marine users, and 20 percent from other interests, including telecommunications giant Sprint, which values Loran’s timing as a GPS backup. Aviation supporters included the Air Transport Association, AOPA, Boeing, the National Air Transportation Association and NBAA, which suggested that additional time be given to establishing the full aviation benefits of e- (enhanced) Loran. International Loran Association president and former FAA administrator Langhorne Bond hailed the strong endorsement of the system after so many stays of execution. On January 8, the Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security issued a request for comments on Loran. The comment period closed on February 7.