Senators Voice Concern Over Potential LightSquared Interference
Two senators took issue with the interference potential of LightSquared’s wireless service with GPS operations. They asked colleagues to join in petitioning the FCC to be more involved in the review process. Sens. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Ben Nelson, D-Neb., sent a “dear colleague” letter to the rest of the Senate on Thursday asking for support in pushing the agency to more closely oversee LightSquared’s testing. LightSquared is reviewing the interference potential through an FCC-required working group that includes wireless, GPS and federal interests. That group is supposed to present a final report to the agency by June 15.
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"Please join us in calling on the FCC to ensure GPS is not compromised in any way,” the letter said. “To do so, the full Commission must be involved and require LightSquared to objectively demonstrate non-interference as a condition prior to any operation of its proposed service. Anything less is an unacceptable risk to public safety.” Neither Nelson nor Roberts are on the Senate Commerce Committee, though Nelson is on an appropriations subcommittee that oversees FCC funding. The office of Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-N.Y., has had discussions with stakeholders on both sides, a committee aide said.
The GPS industry and LightSquared have both hired high profile lobbying and public relations groups to help the fight in Washington (CD April 4 p1). While members of the House have previously voiced some concern that LightSquared could hamper GPS operations and said they are watching the progress, the Senate had been on the sideline until now. The FCC has repeatedly said it won’t allow LightSquared’s wireless network to go live until the interference concerns are dealt with. The commission declined to comment.
"We applaud the initiative by Senators Roberts and Nelson,” the Coalition to Save Our GPS said in a written statement. It’s an ad hoc group formed to prevent LightSquared interference with GPS spectrum, and includes companies and trade groups from several industries, such as agriculture and aviation. “As more and more Americans become aware of this stark threat to their use of GPS -- a system in which both the government and individuals have invested many billions of dollars -- they are increasingly questioning the entire process that has led us to this dilemma,” the coalition said.
"We appreciate and share the senators’ desire to ensure effective communications capabilities for public safety, national defense and consumers across America,” Executive Vice President Jeff Carlisle of LightSquared said in an email. “LightSquared’s new national wireless broadband network will provide increased network capability and capacity for reliable communications in the event of natural disasters or unexpected crises, as well as a foundation for economic growth. To ensure that the LightSquared network and the GPS systems can coexist, we will continue to work collaboratively with federal agencies and the GPS community, just as we have over the past 10 years. We are confident these issues can be addressed and we will launch LightSquared’s commercial operations only when the current review process is completed to the FCC’s satisfaction.”