NASEM Presses FCC on Ligado Order
National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) ad hoc committee members pressed the FCC about the rationale for rejecting the proposed 1 db interference standard in its 2020 Ligado order. Thursday's meeting was one in a series as part…
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of a NASEM independent technical review of the order contracted by DOD, with the committee assessing the potential for harmful interference to GPS and satellite systems for DOD operations (see 2012040043). FCC staffers spent roughly 40 minutes going over the order and rationale, and often pointed to aspects of the order when asked questions. Committee member Preston Marshall, Google engineering director, challenged the FCC for deeming 1 db as a defective interference protection criteria but then "walk[ing] away completely" from finding more suitable protection criteria. "What it boils down to ... there were no alternatives offered," replied Office of Engineering and Technology acting Chief Ron Repasi. The committee and FCC representatives discussed whether Ligado had an affirmative direction to fix interference issues in military equipment, or just to negotiate for a fix. The commission order wanted a program where DOD and Ligado work together to figure out interference issues, said Paul Murray, OET associate chief. He said GPS manufacturers know how their gear performs and how it would respond to Ligado signals. "I don't want to say it's easy," but certain determinations can be made with such discussions "by people who know how to think about the problem," he said. Asked about whether the FCC is obligated to ever respond to or act on the reconsideration petitions, Murray said that while there's no deadline, "there are lots of things that are moving out there that may influence" what the agency does.