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> deny the latest plan by LightSquared to operate a national broadband network
in frequencies
> near the band used by GPS navigation systems, due to interference problems.
Lockheed operates
> a satellite system for the Federal Aviation Administration that improves GPS
accuracy, while
> OnStar has installed GPS-based navigation systems in 6 million vehicles.
> The European Commission, the executive body for the 27 countries in the
European Union, also
> The European Commission, the executive body for the 27 countries in the
> opposes the LightSquared plan. It told the FCC that it had "deep concern" that
the LightSquared
> network would cause harmful interference to signals broadcast by its Galileo
satellite navigation
> system slated to begin operating within four years. A number of agricultural
organizations that
> use GPS to support precision farming operations also asked the FCC to halt the
LightSquared
> deployment because it would render GPS-enabled agriculture tools useless.
> LightSquared and its predecessor companies have operated a satellite based
mobile communications
> LightSquared and its predecessor companies have operated a satellite based
> systems since 1996 on frequencies near the GPS band. In January, the FCC gave
the company
> tentative approval to build a national, terrestrial network with up to 40,000
cellular
> towers operating in the same frequency band.
> On Thursday, LightSquared inked a 15-year, $9 billion deal with Sprint, the
country's third-largest
> On Thursday, LightSquared inked a 15-year, $9 billion deal with Sprint, the
> wireless carrier, to build the terrestrial network. The deal will give Sprint
the option
> to use up to 50 percent of the capacity of the LightSquared network.
> FCC authorization for the LightSquared terrestrial network was conditional,
pending tests
> FCC authorization for the LightSquared terrestrial network was conditional,
> conducted in cooperation with the GPS industry to determine if the
high-powered signals
> from the cell towers interfered with GPS receivers.
> Those tests revealed that when operating in the upper band frequency block of
1545.2-1555 MHz,
> Those tests revealed that when operating in the upper band frequency block of
> the LightSquared system would hurt the performance of a significant number of
GPS receivers
> that operate in the adjacent 1559-1610 MHz band.
> The company filed a new plan with the FCC on June 30 to initially limit
deployment to its
> The company filed a new plan with the FCC on June 30 to initially limit
> lower frequency band, which it said would not adversely effect the performance
of 99 percent
> of GPS receivers except for highly precise receivers used in agriculture,
mining and
> construction.
> The FCC comment period on the latest LightSquared plan closed July 30.
Lockheed Martin, in
> The FCC comment period on the latest LightSquared plan closed July 30.
> its July 29 filing, said test reports submitted to the FCC showed that "a
significant number
> of GPS receivers and applications would be impacted by terrestrial operations"
in the lower
> LightSquared band.
> Lockheed Martin said any interference to the reception and use by aircraft of
the signals
> Lockheed Martin said any interference to the reception and use by aircraft of
> broadcast by the Wide Area Augmentation System satellites it operates for the
FAA "significantly
> reduces the efficiency of the National Airspace System and quite possibly
endangers safety
> of life and property." Last Wednesday, an internal FAA report leaked by the
GPS industry
> concluded that the LightSquared network would disable GPS for aviation use
over the continental
> United States.
> Heinz Zourek, director general of the European Commission's directorate for
enterprise and
> Heinz Zourek, director general of the European Commission's directorate for
> industry, told FCC chairman Julius Genachowski in a July 19 letter that
analysis conducted
> by the European Space Agency showed that "transmissions from LightSquared base
stations do
> indeed have considerable potential to cause harmful interference to Galileo
receivers
> operating in the United States."
> Zourek added that while international regulations allow the FCC to decide on
spectrum matters
> Zourek added that while international regulations allow the FCC to decide on
> within the United States, those regulations make it clear that national
systems "are expected
> not to cause harmful interference" to systems operated by another country.
> Thomas Jeffers, vice president for public policy of the OnStar division of
General Motors,
> Thomas Jeffers, vice president for public policy of the OnStar division of
> said in a July 29 filing with the FCC that "we are not confident that
LightSquared's assertion
> that transmissions in the lower 10 MHz of its spectrum will not cause GPS
interference. We do not
> have enough data to support this conclusion." Jeffers urged the FCC to require
LightSquared to
> conduct more tests before receiving permission to start operations.
> Christopher Pachta, a precision agricultural economist with the Farmway
Cooperative in Concordia,
> Christopher Pachta, a precision agricultural economist with the Farmway
> Kan., wrote in July 27 comments that "We use GPS every day for accurately
applying crop protection
> products and fertilizers . . . If GPS became unreliable or unusable it would
cause us to
> lose money due to decreases in efficiency and the investments we made into GPS
based technologies
> would be worthless."
> Pachta warned the FCC that "the loss of reliable GPS would essentially set
farming practices
> Pachta warned the FCC that "the loss of reliable GPS would essentially set
> back 10 years or more. Furthermore, without the benefits of GPS, farmers will
be unable to
> supply enough food, fuel and fiber to take care of an ever growing world
population!"
> LightSquared and the FCC have until Aug. 15 to respond to these comments.
- Lockheed Martin Delivers Key GPS III Test Hardware ahead of Schedule
- Satellite Navigation
- 2010-11-10
- Lockheed Martin GPS III Team on Schedule in Design Review Stage
- Global Positioning System
- 2009-03-10
- Lockheed Martin won the $1.46 billion contract to build GPS-IIIA Constellation
- Global Positioning System
- 2008-05-16
- Modernized GPS Satellite Built By Lockheed Martin Launched From Cape Canaveral
- Satellite Navigation
- 2007-12-21
- Lockheed Martin -- Add GPS Demonstration Signal to Modernized Satellite
- Satellite Navigation
- 2007-09-05
- Lockheed Martin's Guided MLRS Unitary Rockets Successful In Anti-Jamming Tests
- Satellite Navigation
- 2007-11-07
- Lockheed Martin Receives $6 Million Contract to Add Additional GPS Signal to Modernized Satellite
- Global Positioning System
- 2007-04-20
> BY: BOB BREWIN
> NextGov
> 01 August 2011
> Lockheed Martin Corp. and OnStar are both asking the Federal Communications