FCC and their relationship to "lightsourced"

Tom,
I agree 100% with your feelings--and it is evident that they knew exactly what they were doing. Just thought that they could "cheat"--and now trying to find a way around reasonable and logical objections (as well as honest use of the band width spectrum!)
 
The proposed national broadband network, planned by LightSquared, was rejected by a U.S. federal committee in January due to “harmful interferenceâ€￾ to some GPS-based systems. The 4G-LTE network would cause interference to many GPS receivers and create incompatibility with GPS-dependent aircraft safety systems, according to the National Space-Based Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) executive committee. PNT is a group established for matters concerning GPS and related systems. The committee stated that tests showed the network didn’t interfere with cellular phones, which are equipped to block the specific GPS signals, but did cause significant interference to other general purpose GPS receivers and aircraft safety systems that warn pilots of approaching terrain. The committee unanimously concluded that the proposed network did not mitigate the harmful interference caused to the GPS bandwidth, according to several news reports. The committee worked with LightSquared to test possible solutions to the interference, but none of the proposed methods were accepted by the group. The committee reported that there would be no further testing. The proposed network was to be the basis of the U.S. National Broadband Plan, which was mandated by Congress in 2009 and directed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure every American has access to broadband capability, especially in rural and under-served areas. The government gave Virginia-based LightSquared conditional approval a year ago and the private company, using $14 billion of private capital, proposed the plan to expand its nationwide 4G-LTE wireless broadband network integrated with satellite coverage. Concerns that the proximity and strengths of LightSquared’s signals would overpower the relatively weak GPS satellite signals were presented last summer by several groups representing GPS consumers, including those in maritime, aviation, military and smart phone applications. Those fears were upheld by the committee this month. At issue was the concern that although LightSquared had its own radio band, that band was considered so close to the GPS signals that most GPS devices would pick up the stronger LightSquared signal and become overloaded or jammed. Aeronautical tests from last year showed that receivers on transport-category aircraft would be unable to track GPS satellites in certain regions near land-based towers. LightSquared’s plan included 400,000 towers. Several megayacht industry sources noted that less than 1 percent of GPS devices would have been impacted, predominantly older units without filters that protect from interference and high precision level GPS use. "Precision frequencies are different than the ones most maritime operations use," said Peter Prowant, SE regional manager of Furuno USA, which sells marine navigational equipment. Navigation along the coastal United States and its inland waterways would probably have been more affected by signal interference than high seas operations, Prowant said. The committee’s rejection of the proposed plan is being contested by LightSquared, which claims the committee is biased. The company filed the complaint with the NASA Investigator General’s office regarding “potential conflicts of interest in the advisory board.â€￾ Postings on LightSquared's Web site this month stated that the government's testing included obsolete and off-market GPS receivers that were more likely to fail. The company also said that the mass market device that reportedly failed the government’s tests in fact “performed flawlessly during Technical Working Groupâ€￾ testing. And its press release asserts that the failure was ensured with tests that were performed at a power level 32 times greater than the level at which LightSquared's network would operate. At press time, LightSquared had posted a video on its Web site demonstrating a solution for the high precision GPS interference. on this server.

Maybe a final ruling. Sorry about the funny characters in the text. It copied that way.

The source.

Lightsquared National 4G Network Plan Rejected
Reported By: WG Staff

The proposed national broadband network, planned by LightSquared, was rejected by a U.S. federal committee due to "harmful interference" to some GPS-based systems, and that there would be no further testing.

The proposed network was to be the basis of the U.S. National Broadband Plan, which was mandated by Congress in 2009 and directed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure every American has access to broadband capability, especially in rural and under-served areas.

On the LightSquared website, the company maintains that it can mitigate the issues, and that it has stayed within frequencies that it has licensed. Read full TheTriton article...
 
Looks like the process went the way it is supposed to in order to allow businesses new opportunities, but with governmental review to ensure the public good. Sometimes it works...
 
Oops, looks like they went up against the big boys:

"....Opposition to LightSquared’s network has come from the Pentagon and military industries....."

Boris
 
Boat US is asking for a final public push to deny the application. There is a new comment period on the application. If you feel strongly about this, follow the links and respond.

Dear BoatU.S. Member:

Last summer boaters sent a clear message to the Federal Communications Commission – “Don’t Mess with GPS!" As you may remember, a private company, LightSquared, received preliminary FCC approval to offer a new cellular broadband service. Tests showed this service could significantly interfere with GPS signals.

Thanks to over 18,000 boaters who submitted comments, along with many other GPS users, the FCC required additional testing in the fall. (Thank you all for your help!) Last week, these tests revealed that the LightSquared’s network would interfere with GPS and that there are no practical fixes. As a result, the FCC has proposed to withdraw LightSquared's approval.(http://www.gps.gov/news/2012/02/lightsquared/)

The FCC has a new comment period (open to March 1) asking for the public’s opinion. Even if you wrote last summer, please take a few minutes now and write the FCC asking them to protect the GPS signal by saying “No” to LightSquared’s current proposal. Given this company’s tenacity over the last year, we want to make sure that boaters’ needs are remembered as the FCC makes their final decision.

Important points to make:
How do you use GPS in your life – on the water, on land, or in the air?
What would happen to your business/personal life if GPS became unavailable or unreliable?
Wireless broadband service is important, but it should not come at the expense of GPS.
All the studies show that LightSquared’s proposed network would cause interference and that there are no remedies.
Tell FCC that you rely on them to protect the integrity of the GPS signal and that you support their recommendation to stop LightSquared’s current proposal
You can submit comments directly to the FCC through their online comment form. (We regret we can’t streamline this process for you, but it is important enough we’re still asking for your help.) Here’s how:
Click on this link for the FCC’s Electronic Comments Filing System (ECFS): http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/hotdocket/list
Select “Proceeding Number 11-109.” It should be near the top of the list.
In the designated boxes, enter your name and mailing address.
In the box that says “Type in or paste your brief comments,” do so. Click “Continue”.
A review page will load listing all of the information entered. If correct, click “Confirm.”
If you have any trouble, you may contact the FCC ECFS Helpdesk at 202-418-0193 or email at ecfshelp@fcc.gov
Thank you for taking action to protect the integrity of the GPS system.

Margaret Podlich
President, BoatU.S.
GovtAffairs@BoatUS.com
703-461-2878 x8363
 
Thank you--comment posted! I would urge all other C Brats to make a comment. This is too important resource for us to loose. Lightsquared is not giving up easily--and the fight to keep the GPS spectrum clean is not yet over.
 
LS just missed a 58 million dollar payment to Inmarsat and has been declared to be in default...
Falcones hedge fund has dropped from 17 billion to 5 billion...
The fat lady is warming up...
 
Slashdot is reporting:

“LightSquared, the company who’s request to use make use of spectrum in a way likely to interfere with GPS was recently denied, has suffered another setback. CEO Sanjiv Ahuja has now resigned, only a week after a report detailing political contributions and the personal financial interests of Obama and officials in his administration in SkyTerra, the precursor company to LightSquared. Ahuja’s one and only contribution to the Democratic Party occurred on the same day he tried to arrange a meeting with Obama administration officials, apparently as part of LightSquared’s desire to fast track FCC approval of a change beneficial to the company.”

(Ed. note: Lightsquared is the broadband company who’s service had a potential to disrupt GPS signals.)
Click to expand...

follow the money..
 
Glad to see this particular effort fail. We Ham Radio Operators had the same sort of discussion/problems with internet companies that wanted to put Broadband internet over Power Lines. It was known as BPL. They did a bunch of tests (the ones that wanted to do it), found little or no interference. The Hams, on the other hand had measurable interference on their frequencies.

Not sure where that effort stands (can someone enlighten me?) but I hope it goes the way of lightsourced! We need broadband internet (I have a hard time getting it except via HughesNet) but not at the expense of another service or group of people.

JMHO.

Charlie
 
I had never heard of the test results of data over power lines. I thought that it was approved, because San Diego G&E reads our meter over power lines. wondered why they don't offer it as a commercial service.

When I use the uhf/vhf radio that we have, I don't notice any interference. Was that only at the lower frequencies?

Our water company uses wireless to read their meter. Don't know what frequency. Also, I can buy a kit that turns the house power wiring into a data transmission service inside the house, don't know the protocol. I'll try to find out for my curiosity.

Our call signs are Boris-KE6QWS, Judy-KI6ZEH. Got mine for cruising, Judy got hers for the Community Emergency Response, so neither are real knowledgeable Hams.

Boris
 
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