FAA Says Even New LightSquared Plan Causes Interference

The Federal Aviation Administration says even a revised proposal from LightSquared to launch a national wireless broadband network will interfere with global positioning systems critical to aviation.

LightSquared has come under fire from the GPS industry and its users over concerns that the company's proposal to deploy a wireless broadband network using both land-based transmitters and a satellite would interfere with GPS systems. In response, LightSquared said in June that it will hold off for now on using the spectrum closest to that used by GPS receivers and operate at a reduced power level than it is authorized to use. In an assessment conducted earlier this month but only recently released, the FAA appears to have concluded that even this revised proposal would still interfere with GPS systems used in aviation. "The effects of LightSquared deployment would be far-reaching and potentially devastating to aviation. Proposed LightSquared operations would severely impact the efficiency and modernization of the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world," according to the July 12 report from the FAA's Navigation Services.