Almost three dozen members of the Senate from both sides of the aisle and led by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, are calling on the FCC to stay and reconsider its decision to allow Ligado to launch a terrestrial broadband network adjacent to GPS satellite spectrum.
That came in a letter Friday (May 15) to all five FCC commissioners. The senators said the FCC's decision's impact would be "devastating [to] our military and countless industries that rely on its signals.
Related: FCC, Ligado Draw Major Fire in Armed Services Committee
“We urge the Federal Communications Commission to immediately stay and reconsider their Order on this matter, more fully consider the technical concerns raised by numerous federal agencies and private sector stakeholders, and outline a path forward that adequately addresses these concerns," they said.
The letter follows a hearing in Inhofe's committee this last week that featured top DOD figures, joined by Inhofe, slamming the FCC and the decision.
At the hearing, Inhofe said the issue boiled down to risk and he said that risk should not come at the benefit of one company and its investors. He appeared convinced that Ligado's service would interfere with GPS, including military guidance systems, and said such interference with GPS would hurt the entire economy. At the end of the day, he said "economic security is national security."
