LightSquared Throws Ultimatum at FCC
Dec 20, 2011, 4:53 PM by Eric M. Zeman
LightSquared today filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission demanding that the government recognize and affirm LightSquared's "right to use the spectrum licensed to the company by the federal government." LightSquared also wants the FCC to, in effect, tell commercial GPS manufacturers that they aren't entitled to interference protection since the GPS services aren't supposed to be running on the spectrum owned by LightSquared. Despite numerous tests showing that LightSquared's Long Term Evolution network interferes with neighboring GPS systems, LightSquared insists it is the GPS industry that is at fault. "LightSquared has had FCC authorization to build its network for over eight years and that authorization was endorsed by the GPS industry, and fully reviewed and allowed to proceed by several other government agencies,” said LightSquared’s executive vice president for regulatory affairs and public policy Jeff Carlisle. "Commercial GPS device-makers have had nearly a decade to design and sell devices that do not infringe on LightSquared's licensed spectrum. They have no right to complain in the eleventh-hour about incompatibility when they had ample opportunity to avoid this problem." According to government tests, LightSquared's network interferes with aviation and military GPS systems, too.
Qualcomm Taps Iridium for Satellite Connectivity
Qualcomm's New Chip for Entry-Level Phones Moves to 4nm
Comments
Amazing
The 'relaxation' of the rule by the FCC came just a little while ago and it was conditional upon no interference and there are allegations of money influence and the FCC will not release any of their communications with LS.
Big money is being thrown about.
It will be interesting to see if those interests will pollute this.
Will the influence be large enough to allow LS to proceed?
Are we prepared to take the chance that it will cause problems with our military or commercial and private aviation?
(continues)
