The FCC has asked for comment on LightSquared's most recent
effort to secure FCC permission to launch a terrestrial wholesale 4G wireless
broadband service using spectrum initially licensed for satellite.
LightSquared says it will give up its right to deploy the
service in the 10 MHz of spectrum immediately adjacent to GPS service. It was
the issue of sensitive GPS receivers being interfered with by in-band
LightSquared transmissions that prompted an outcry from GPS users, including
many government agencies, and prompted the FCC to put an indefinite hold on its
waiver that would have allowed the service so long as there were no unresolved
interference issues.
After being granted a conditional waiver by the FCC to use
satellite spectrum for a planned wholesale 4G terrestrial mobile broadband net,
the FCCsuspended the waiver temporarily -- and is in the process of determining
whether that should be permanent -- after GPS interference issues could not be
resolved.
LightSquared had already modified its proposal once to delay
using that adjacent 10 MHz, but critics were concerned that did not provide
them enough assurance about its future use. LightSquared now promises not to
use that for its terrestrial service, and instead leave it as a guard band to
protect against interference.
Comments are due Dec. 17 on the LightSquared proposal,
replies Jan. 4.
