LightSquared: Interference tests were rigged

The GPS industry rigged the testing of LightSquared’s wireless network in an attempt to stymie the broadband startup, an executive claimed.

The testing conducted this fall “was shrouded in secrecy” and “there was no transparency,” Jeff Carlisle, head of regulatory affairs for LightSquared, said in a conference call with reporters. The “testing just doesn’t reflect reality and was probably never intended to.” GPS manufacturers cherry-picked devices for testing — many of them niche or obsolete — to meet an overly conservative definition of interference, Carlisle said. The complaint adds to Friday’s charge that a key federal advisory board has had a “systematic disregard for fairness and transparency.” “We believe the testing was rigged to assure that most receivers would fail,” Carlisle said. Jim Kirkland, a spokesman for the Coalition to Save our GPS and vice president of Trimble, responded that LightSquared is simply whining after things didn’t go its way.