{"id":28343,"date":"2020-04-10T17:20:38","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T17:20:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/10\/fcc-to-approve-spectrum-plan-that-pentagon-claims-will-harm-gps\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:18:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:18:07","slug":"fcc-to-approve-spectrum-plan-that-pentagon-claims-will-harm-gps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/it-networks\/2020\/04\/10\/fcc-to-approve-spectrum-plan-that-pentagon-claims-will-harm-gps\/","title":{"rendered":"FCC to approve spectrum plan that Pentagon claims will harm GPS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Update 4\/11\/20 12:00 PM EST \u2014 After publication of this story, the NTIA <\/i>published a letter<\/i><\/a> to the FCC that included the notes Norquist, Deasy and Griffin, and the memo from Luu. In addition, the NTIA associate administrator said it is his belief that the FCC cannot \u201creasonably reach\u201d the conclusion that the Pentagon\u2019s concerns have been resolved. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the <\/i>latest updates to this story, click here<\/i><\/a>. The original story is below. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Federal Communications Commission is poised to approve a draft order as soon as today that would reallocate a specific portion of the radio spectrum for broadband communications<\/a>, overruling a decade of strong objections from the Department of Defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior Pentagon leaders warn that such a move will lead to \u201cunacceptable\u201d harm to the GPS system by creating new interference<\/a> that could disrupt satellites critical to national security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision, described by multiple sources to C4ISRNET, would allow the privately held Ligado Networks, formerly known as LightSquared, to operate in L-band frequency range despite years of government resistance, largely led by the DoD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The emphasis comes amid renewed focus on 5G technology<\/a> from key White House administration officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources say the drive to approve Ligado is coming from the White House National Economic Council. That office is led by Larry Kudlow, who has expressed interest in the economic benefits of expanding the nation\u2019s 5G capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Attorney General William Barr announced April 7 he will lead a new national security group known as \u201cTeam Telecom.\u201d Barr, a former telecom executive, has also talked about expanding the United States\u2019 5G capabilities \u2014 or next-generation mobile communications technology \u2014 as a way to fend off China\u2019s dominance in the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A source familiar with the proceedings said \u201cthe approach being considered provides protection to government GPS orders of magnitude above the point at which there would be harmful interference, while advancing America\u2019s economic and national security interests and leading the world in 5G.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If approved, the Ligado draft order would appear to override concerns from the DoD that Ligado would cause \u201cunacceptable operational impacts to the warfighter\u201d while promising a solution that is \u201cnot feasible, affordable or technically executable,\u201d according to the Pentagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other experts, who see Ligado as a way to help boost the economy and to help compete with China, claim that the Defense Department\u2019s analysis does not show that interference is a certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DoD, the White House, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration \u2014 which is part of the Commerce Department \u2014 declined to comment for this story. The FCC did not return a request for comment by press time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(U.S. Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A yearslong fight<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For roughly 10 years, officials from Ligado, and its predecessor LightSquared, have tried to get approval from the Federal Communications Commission to use part of the L-band spectrum for communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L-band is described as the range of frequencies between 1 to 2 GHz. GPS, and other international navigation systems, rely on L-band because it can easily penetrate clouds, fog, rain and vegetation. Ligado owns a license to operate the spectrum near GPS to build what the firm describes as a 5G network that would boost connectivity for the industrial \u201cinternet of things\u201d market. The company uses the SkyTerra-1 satellite, which launched in 2010 and is in geostationary orbit, and it has planned to deploy thousands of terminals to provide connectivity in the continental United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many federal government leaders, including those from NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Transportation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, worry about the proximity of that spectrum to the radio frequency used by GPS satellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an op-ed for The Hill newspaper in 2017, former FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell said the decision would be akin to \u201callowing a frat house (LightSquared) to move into the lot next to an already established library (existing satellite licensees), which needs a quiet neighborhood to operate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t