After "want a be" 4G LTE wireless broadband provider LightSquared had its conditional operating authority revoked in February of last year by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), it looked like the company had little chance of surviving the almost instantaneous loss of potential system customers and contractors. And for good reason. Tests showed LightSquared's planned use of its allocated frequency spectrum would substantially degrade GPS utility and accuracy nationwide. Given this finding created an uproar in a broad range of industries including aviation, surveying, farming and public safety, few thought LightSquared would ever emerge from the bankruptcy protection it entered on May 12, 2012 as a result of the FCC ruling. Now comes word that LightSquared may have found a way to swap-out spectrum and begin operations. More below:
(CNET, May 3, 2013)
Comment: Like I've said before, Mr. Falcone et al., are a tough bunch (see: LightSquared Fight Postmortem (Maybe)). And where there's a will, there's a way. So let's hope this time around, that without question, the planned spectrum swap solves the GPS interference issue or we are going to have another 18 months of political brawling over an issue that is central to the nation's economy, competitiveness, operational efficiency, and public well-being: GPS.
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