May 21, 2020
Airline companies and other GPS interests are filing seven separate petitions to the FCC Thursday (May 21) to rethink its decision to allow Ligado to launch a terrestrial broadband network using L-band satellite spectrum adjacent to GPS spectrum.
The FCC decision was unanimous, came with conditions including power level limits and a “kill switch,” and was based on FCC engineering and testing that FCC chairman Ajit Pai has assured Congress makes it feasible to both boost terrestrial 5G broadband and protect sensitive GPS receivers used for navigation, missile guidance and much more.
Ligado, formerly LightSquared, has been trying to get the FCC to let it use satellite spectrum for terrestrial service for almost a decade.