FCC Rules to Prevent GPS Interference

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rejected LightSquared’s plans for a 4G broadband network. The decision was largely influenced by final recommendation from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is a joint panel consisting of nine federal agencies. The NTIA sent a letter to the FCC saying the group “cannot support” further deployment of LightSquared’s technology since there is no practical way to mitigate potential interference of the company’s transmissions with GPS signals at this time. AGC was part of a coalition effort to block Lightsquared’s initiative because of its potential impact on the use of GPS in construction.  LightSquared is considering its next step, possibly legal action against the FCC and/or GPS industry. Thanks to all AGC members who shared their concerns with elected officials on this potential interference.   For more information, please contact Brian Deery at (703) 837-5319 or deeryb@agc.org.