LightSquared Changes, Congressional Inquiry and More
Posted by Steve Fravel on Monday, March 5, 2012 · 
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On February 28, LightSquared announced its Chief Executive Officer Sanjiv Ahuja had resigned his position but would continue with LightSquared as its board chairman. The company will conduct a search to fill the CEO position. In the interim, current Chief Financial Officer Marc Montagner and Chief Network Officer Doug Smith will act as co-chief operating officers. It also was announced that Philip Falcone, chief executive officer of Harbinger Capital Partners, has been added to the LightSquared board of directors. Read more
More on LightSquared
Posted by Steve Fravel on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 · ·
The FCC recently announced that it has suspended a conditional waiver that had allowed LightSquared to construct and operate a satellite-hybrid LTE network. According to published reports, LightSquared was served early last week with a notice of default. LightSquared apparently failed to make a $56.25 million payment to Inmarsat. LightSquared has 60 days to correct the non-payment.
The ruling was prompted by a report from the National Telecommunications Information Agency (NTIA) indicating that the LightSquared planned LTE wholesale network would create harmful interference with GPS devices used by the U.S. government and commercial aviation. LightSquared has maintained that the interference is due to poor design of GPS devices that allow the units to “listen in” to devices in the L-band spectrum where LightSquared intended to deploy its network. The FCC has issued a request for comment on the NTIA letter. Read more
LightSquared at an Impasse?
Posted by Steve Fravel on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 · ·
Additional information added to this article on Friday, February 17, 2012.
With hints at possible litigation, there is every indication that LightSquared has hit the wall on a Valentine’s Day offering little love. The International Bureau of the FCC revoked the conditional approval LightSquared was granted in January 2011. Read more
Congress Questions the Viability of LightSquared’s Interference Solutions
Posted by Steve Fravel on Friday, February 10, 2012 · ·
The day after sending a petition to the FCC requesting that the commission establish enforceable reliability standards for unlicensed GPS equipment, LightSquared complained that it had been denied a seat at a congressional hearing held by the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari said at the hearing,”There appears to be no practical solutions or mitigations that would permit the LightSquared broadband service as proposed, to operate in the next few months or years without significantly interfering with GPS.” Porcari’s comments were met with agreement from three additional witnesses. Read more
The LightSquared Week in Review
Posted by Steve Fravel on Sunday, January 29, 2012 · ·
Early last week, LightSquared announced that it had signed its 39th wholesale agreement, welcoming Telcom Ventures to the 4G LTE service. Telcom Ventures operates two services, Assist Wireless and New-Talk. Both services carry the FCC certification of Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC), which allows them to provide lifeline services to low-income subscribers.
LightSquared‘s plans are currently on hold, waiting for approval from the FCC before it can begin operations with its wholesale partners. Read more
More on LightSquared
Posted by Steve Fravel on Friday, January 20, 2012 · ·
To review what has taken place over the past week or so: the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Executive Committee announced on Friday January 13 that, “Based upon this testing analysis, there appear to be no practical solutions or mitigations that would permit the LightSquared broadband service, as proposed, to operate in the next few months or years without significantly interfering with GPS. As a result, no additional testing is warranted at this time.” The announcement was released after follow-up testing of general location and navigation devices and cellular GPS had taken place. Read more
Sen. Grassley Continues, LightSquared and Others on Hold
Posted by Steve Fravel on Thursday, January 12, 2012 · ·
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), has requested information from GPS companies in regard to communications between the investment group (Harbinger Capital Partners), the FCC and the White House prior to the granting of an ancillary terrestrial waiver to LightSquared. Sen. Grassely has given the GPS group, which includes Garmin and John Deere, a deadline of January 25. He has requested the same info from the FCC and Harbinger Capital Partners. Read more