FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 14, 2012
CONTACT: Prism Public Affairs
Anne Tyrrell: 202-207-3632 or atyrrell@prismpublicaffairs.com
Dale Leibach: 202-207-3630 or dleibach@prismpublicaffairs.com
The following can be attributed to Jim Kirkland, vice president and general counsel of Trimble, a founding member of the Coalition to Save Our GPS:
“Today’s release of the NTIA’s conclusions and the FAA and government interference findings represent a pivotal moment in the year-long testing of harmful interference to GPS that followed the FCC International Bureau’s January 2011 order granting LightSquared a conditional waiver. The Bureau’s conditional waiver made two things absolutely clear: first, that LightSquared would not be permitted to move forward unless it could demonstrate that its proposed operations would not interfere with GPS; and second, that the NTIA – as the representative of critical government spectrum users – would play a central role in deciding whether this condition has been satisfied.
“After a year of extensive testing, NTIA has now conclusively stated that LightSquared’s operations will interfere with GPS and that there is no viable mitigation path for the foreseeable future. The findings of widespread interference include serious threats to safety-of-life systems, as the FAA report details.
“The FCC has acted appropriately by declaring that its non-interference condition has not been satisfied and that LightSquared will not be permitted to move forward with its proposal to build a nationwide high-powered terrestrial network in the mobile satellite band.
“The Coalition stands ready to work with the NTIA and the FCC to address the important policy issues relating to longer term use of satellite spectrum and reduction of potential interference to maximize the efficient use of all satellite spectrum.“
# # #