USGIC Calls Foul on LightSquared/FCC Meeting
LightSquared’s recent discussion with the FCC about a technical working group is raising real concerns for the co-chair of the group, the U.S. GPS Industry Council. USGIC Executive Director Michael Swiek voiced worries that the LightSquared meeting, which was only between LightSquared representatives and FCC staff (CD May 10 p14), could “mislead or cause confusions with respect to the status of Working Group activities,” it said in an FCC filing. LightSquared and the USGIC are heading an FCC-required working group that’s investigating potential interference issues between LightSquared’s planned terrestrial service and GPS service operating in neighboring spectrum. A final report is due to the FCC by June 15.
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"Any reporting of activities and progress of the Working Group to the [FCC] should either be made by the Co-Chairs jointly, or at least be approved in advance by the Working Group,” said the USGIC. “This is the approach that was agreed to by LightSquared as a member of the Working Group and that the Working Group has followed in reporting monthly progress to the FCC.” The filing is at http://xrl.us/bh969f.
The USGIC was confused in its understanding of the meeting with the FCC, said LightSquared Executive Vice President Jeff Carlisle in an interview. “We didn’t make any representation on behalf of the [working group],” he said. “It was clear that it was the LightSquared perspective on things,” just as other members of the working group have made clear in meetings with the agency, he said. Carlisle said he assured the working group during a Wednesday meeting that any representation of working group positions to the FCC would be made cooperatively.
LightSquared said in its ex parte filing it discussed “preliminary results and trends” as well as potential interference mitigation techniques, during the meeting. LightSquared declined to provide detail of possible mitigation at the time of the meeting. Currently, there isn’t an FCC requirement that LightSquared consult others before discussing the working group with the agency, though both LightSquared and USGIC sign-off on monthly reports provided to the agency on the group’s progress. In those reports, the USGIC is given room to dissent from LightSquared’s conclusions.
"We are surprised that LightSquared, without participation from other Working Group members, met with senior Commission staff,” said the USGIC. Previous working group plans decided the working group “will not go directly from gathering test data to discussing mitigation.” Rather, “the raw test data must be analyzed using an established methodology to determine the effect of the proposed terrestrial signal on GPS operations.” Additionally, “proposed mitigation is to be similarly evaluated when the time is right using operational scenarios to determine their effectiveness for current installed GPS operations,” said the trade group.