Federal Agencies Rule Against LightSquared Technology

National Executive Committee for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing recently wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce about LightSquared proposed mobile network. Below are excerpts of the letter:

At the request of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the nine federal departments and agencies comprising the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Executive Committee (EXCOM) have tested and analyzed LightSquared’s proposals to repurpose the Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) frequency band adjacent to Global Positioning System (GPS) frequencies to permit another nationwide terrestrial broadband service.

Over the past year we have closely worked with LightSquared to evaluate its original deployment plan and subsequent modifications, to address interference concerns. This cooperative effort included extensive testing and analysis of GPS receivers. Substantial federal resources have been expended and diverted from other programs in testing and analyzing LightSquared’s proposals.

It is the unanimous conclusion of the test findings by the National Space-Based PNT EXCOM Agencies that both LightSquared’s original and modified plans for its proposed mobile network would cause harmful interference to many GPS receivers.

Additionally, an analysis by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has concluded that the LightSquared proposals are not compatible with several GPS-dependent aircraft safety-of-flight systems.

Based upon this testing and analysis, there appear to be no practical solutions or mitigations that would permit the LightSquared broadband service, as proposed, to operate in the next few months or years without significantly interfering with GPS. As a result, no additional testing is warranted at this time.

The EXCOM Agencies propose to draft new GPS Spectrum interference standards that will help inform future proposals for non-space, commercial uses in the bands adjacent to the GPS signals and ensure that any such proposals are implemented without affecting existing and evolving uses of space-based PNT services vital to economic, public safety, scientific, and national security needs.

Reportedly exasperated by the government process that has left them scrambling to avoid bankruptcy, LightSquared filed a complaint with NASA’s inspector general’s office alleging that a key member of a panel that advises the government on GPS violated ethics laws.

Bradford Parkinson, second in command of a federal advisory board that has played an integral role informing the government’s views of the LightSquared-GPS controversy, “appears to have violated a federal conflict of interest statute” as a special government employee, the filing states. It’s unclear what, if anything, the complaint will do to advance LightSquared’s ability to enter the market.