June 10, 2020

The arguments for and against revisiting the approval of the proposed Ligado 5G wireless network to ensure that it will not jam GPS reception and navigation became more pointed as the parties filed new documents in the case before the Federal Communications Commission.

Was the FCC’s April order approving the network—despite open questions about its potential to jam GPS navigation signals—“nothing short of baffling,” as Ligado’s critics claim? Or are its opponents from the aviation industry and other sectors reviving “debunked arguments” to undo the plan, as Ligado counters?

The high-profile case is unfolding against a backdrop of the FCC moving forward on speeding the rollout of 5G to support internet demand, GPS becoming ever more essential to individuals and organizations—as well as the cornerstone technology of the modernized air traffic system—and Ligado turning in some eye-popping numbers on the lobbying front.

Recent FCC submissions through early June reflected the positions being staked out as the parties waited to see whether the commission would address petitions to reverse the nod it gave to Ligado in an April 20 vote, or force opponents to seek a new venue—possibly in Congress, where it has faced a skeptical reception to date—to press their case.

Ligado’s opponents are concerned that a wink went along with the FCC’s nod to Ligado. In a consolidated rebuff of Ligado’s defense of its network, 10 aviation associations including AOPA challenged the credibility of Ligado’s aviation advisers and said they believed that the FCC accepted Ligado’s arguments about aviation safety despite those arguments being contradicted by “virtually the entire aviation industry.”

Read the full story at AOPA.org