The running battle over the FCC's decision to allow LightSquared to build a national broadband network adjacent to the frequencies used by the Global Positioning System (GPS) has become a political battle in Congress. According to a report on Newsline, Republican House members claimed that LightSquared has ties to Democrats and wondered whether political favoritism played a role in the FCC's decision to "fast-track" the company's application over the objections of the GPS industry and other government agencies. An FCC spokeswoman said the agency's expedited approval for LightSquared's network was conditional on resolving problems with GPS and other technologies using nearby spectrum.
News and information of interest to ham radio operators from CQ Amateur Radio magazine, the world's leading independent ham radio magazine.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
LightSquared vs. GPS Dispute Takes on Political Overtones
The running battle over the FCC's decision to allow LightSquared to build a national broadband network adjacent to the frequencies used by the Global Positioning System (GPS) has become a political battle in Congress. According to a report on Newsline, Republican House members claimed that LightSquared has ties to Democrats and wondered whether political favoritism played a role in the FCC's decision to "fast-track" the company's application over the objections of the GPS industry and other government agencies. An FCC spokeswoman said the agency's expedited approval for LightSquared's network was conditional on resolving problems with GPS and other technologies using nearby spectrum.