Commerce Department’s Says, LightSquared “poses a significant potential for harmful interference to commercial and government GPS
The Comerce Department’s telecommunication division has released a report stating that, “LightSquared should not commence commercial services per its planned deployment for terrestrial operations in the 1525 – 1559 MHz Mobile-Satellite Service (MSS) Band due to harmful interference to GPS operations.” Strong words from a Government Agency. Although, this is no real news since LightSquared’s own report to the FCC reached essentially the same conclusion. The tests were so bad that LightSquared delayed the report two weeks to have time to prepare an alternate plan where they would delay operation in the upper portions of their licensed downlink band to minimize the impacts. We have been conducting our independent review of the technical report delivered to the FCC, but at over 1000 pages, it will take some time. There has much “banter” back and forth in a “He said, she said” game. In reality, the truth is somewhere in the middle. It is true that LightSquared is meeting the technical terms of their license. It is true that the LS downlink transmissions will impact the current generation of GPS receivers, and it is also true that the GPS industry should have known that this was coming. But such arguments are akin to children arguing on the playground. The “adult” in this equation is, or should have been, the FCC. In other areas the FCC, and their big brother-the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), demands progress be made toward the implementation of systems that use the spectrum. For example, if satellite companies don’t meet progress milestones on time, the can lose their license for a particular satellite slot. For this spectrum, the satellite use was taken up rapidly, but the terrestrial component, or Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC), has languishes for years – the very period where GPS devices found their way into mainstream America. In my opinion, this is where the fault lies.
As the deployment of the ATC component of this spectrum languished, the FCC could have taken steps to either remove the allocation as an MSS/ATC band, to an MSS-only spectrum, or revoke the licenses of those who did not meet their milestones. The fact that they did not take pro-active action to avoid this problem is their failing of leadership. Now the FCC will likely claim that they cannot adjudicate the business plans of Companies by granting and revoking licenses, but this is a false claim. They do that all the time with other spectrum license holders. So the FCC “dropped the ball” on this one. So what. Every organization has it faux pas’, but it’s the recovery that matters. Now is the time for the FCC to take a leadership position. They need to step in and stop the wrangling, name calling, and wanton waste of treasure from all who are seeking a solution in their favor. In short, the FCC needs to re-allocate this spectrum. It’s not ideal, it may not even be right, but it is necessary.
Millions of GPS devices exist and are relied upon. That is a fact. These devices were not designed to accomodate high power transmissions in adjacent spectrum. Also a fact. LightSquared had rights to that adjacent spectrum. Also a fact. However, LightSquared got their too late. It sucks to be late. LightSquared has a legitamate claim to spectrum, and LightSquard’s desires are in line with overall policy of the current Administration and the FCC. The FCC needs to find other spectrum that will accommodate the growth of wireless. The market questions of bandwidth and mobility have been answered-consumers will by as much bandwidth as they can get, and they will take as much of that bandwidth on the road with them as they can. Now the FCC needs to get on with the business at hand and develop a better National spectrum policy that provides the spectrum resources that satisfy that market.