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FCC blocks LightSquared proposal

Widespread opposition from GPS users, who are worried about interference problems, led the Federal Communications Commission to nix the plan.
John Hawkins 
Published: Feb 15, 2012
LightSquared's plans to revolutionize the wireless industry with a broadband network may have been dealt a death blow by the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC believes that LightSquared should not be allowed to operate an LTE network near frequencies used by GPS because of concerns about interference. The FCC had last year given LightSquared a conditional waiver to run its network, provided the company could prove that GPS jamming wasn't an issue, but now the commission wants to revoke the waiver.

In a statement, the American Soybean Association welcomed the FCC action:

“Farmers invest thousands of dollars in high-precision GPS equipment and applications to run more efficient, sustainable, cost-effective and productive farms. The LightSquared network would have rendered that investment—not to mention the consumer GPS market projected to reach almost $29 billion in the U.S. by 2015—all but useless. The FCC’s decision this week is one that is in the best interests of both the American farmer and the American consumer."

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