Comments on: LightSquared claims FCC GPS interference Bogus

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:29:00 +0000

LS’s spectrum is located in the MSS spectrum, for mobile satellite services, otherwise satellite to ground communications. The spectrum license was obtained when they purchased the bankrupt assets of a company called SkyTerra.

SkyTerra also have a waiver received in 2003 for a Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) which allows the use of some terrestrial transmitters with significant limitations. The FCC also made it clear in 2003 that this ATC was not meant to be used for a stand-alone terrestrial network, which is what they want to build now:

“The Commission will authorize MSS ATC subject to conditions that

ensure that the added terrestrial component remains ancillary to the

principal MSS offering. The Commission does not intend, nor will it

permit, the terrestrial component to become a stand-alone service.”

Also, there are existing Federal regulations in the 1.5-1.6 GHz spectrum that require no interference from the ATC to other satellite users:

“If harmful interference is caused to other services by ancillary MSS ATC

operations, either from ATC base stations or mobile terminals, the MSS

ATC operator must resolve any such interference. If the MSS ATC operator

claims to have resolved the interference and other operators claim that

interference has not been resolved, then the parties to the dispute may

petition the Commission for a resolution of their claims.”

By: Johnnie

Johnnie — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:21:00 +0000

I’m confused… you say the signal LS bought was “allocated for directional transmission into space”. I could absolutely be wrong here, but I’m under the impression that LS was fully up front with what they were hoping to use these wavelengths for at the time of the spectrum auction, and such use was deemed appropriate. Your quote though implies that LS is trying to use frequency bought for one purpose for a different purpose.

Can you offer any support for your suggestion that LS is playing fast and loose with the intended use of these frequencies?

By: Tom Serkowski

Tom Serkowski — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:26:00 +0000

Joe, I guess you don’t know how GPS works… It’s based on finding a very faint signal in what is essentially background noise. So the receiver has to be extremely sensitive. LS is wanting to use a frequency that was allocated for directional transmission into space and now transmit it horizontally, thus blinding nearby GPS units.

Those nearby units are not only providing directions to the nearest Starbucks, but also locating a 911 phone call, providing mapping guidance to fire & police, and allowing aircraft to land on a very narrow runway in zero visibility. These are just the tip of the iceberg that GPS has enabled.

I have a casual understanding of GPS and this interference issue, so do some research before taking anything I’ve posted as truth.

By: Tom Serkowski

Tom Serkowski — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:26:00 +0000

I have a casual understanding of GPS and this interference issue, so do some research before taking anything I’ve posted as truth.

By: Tom Serkowski

Tom Serkowski — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:26:00 +0000

I have a casual understanding of GPS and this interference issue, so do some research before taking anything I’ve posted as truth.

By: Tom Serkowski

Tom Serkowski — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:26:00 +0000

I have a casual understanding of GPS and this interference issue, so do some research before taking anything I’ve posted as truth.

By: Wasson_C

Wasson_C — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:30:00 +0000

What is with the interference my AT&T phone has with my electronic devices every few minutes or before the phone rings? Why wasn’t that an issue?

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:29:00 +0000

seems to me that GPS is the lesser of the two products. While I understand that many people have begun to rely soley on their little talking boxes to find their way to that next Burger King, but personally, I feel that if you are too stupid to use a map, then you don’t need to be on the road (in my way).

given the choice, i would prefer to see innovative broadband over preserving some archaic fringe frequency ”(reserved mainly for faint emissions from satellites)”.

question: why can’t GPS be transported over or even thru the LightSquared carrier signal?

To LightSquared; Keep up the good fight, even if your product eventually is determined to be non-viable, you will learn enough for the 2nd generation product to make this all worth the effort.
To GPS; try innoivating your equipment to produce better signal and less bandwidth usage

in the modern world, ALL users of spectrum are going to have to create hardware/software that can better and more fully utilize ever decreasing slices of frequency.

By: Don McCallum

Don McCallum — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:57:00 +0000

Got to tell you, Ben Vincent, that “GPS” does in fact have primary rights to these airwaves as it is spectrum allocated to the DoD many years ago. National defence trumps any commercial interest. All of the commercial uses of GPS, as important as they have become are on a secondary basis and you are not allowed to transmit on any of these frequencies without a license. BPL was a BAD idea from the gitgo as it cannot serve its main function without generating broadband interferance to aviation, marine and other services in addition to the other two you listed. As far as the FCC’s spine goes, it generally disappears quickly whenever moneyed interests decide that their interests are more important than yours or mine. Part of the problem is that the commission members are political appointees and are thus very likely to blow with the current political wind just like a leaf blown off a tree in the autumn.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:47:00 +0000

FCC : Federal Communications Commission or Frederick Community College?

GPS: Global Positioning System or Girls Preparatory School?

Help us help you … Chris Burns

Anyway, what are the frequencies for GPS (Global Positioning System)? and how is LightSquared’s equipment affecting it?

http://www.kowoma.de/en/gps/signals.htm

By: BenVincent

BenVincent — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:38:00 +0000

You mean the FCC is actually believing interference issues? The FCC kept fudging the facts about interference to military and amateur radio from broadband over power lines. Seems the FCC has some spine after all.