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LightSquared seeks investigation on GPS advisory board member

By: , IntoMobile
Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at 3:32 PM
LightSquared says GPS interference overblown

Just when you thought this LightSquared situation with the feds couldn’t get any weirder, think again. For months, LightSquared has been trying to close a 15-year agreement it struck with Sprint in an effort to roll out a new LTE network. Well, it turns out such a delay by the FCC may be due to special interest (shocker).

A federal official involved in deciding the fate of Sprint and LightSquared’s LTE network partnership serves on the board of a GPS company opposing the network. To no ones surprise the wireless broadband company wants this guy investigated, and rightfully so.

In a petition, LightSquared explained that Bradford Parkinson (the man in question), who serves as the vice chairman of a board that advises the government on GPS, should be removed from discussions about potential interference between GPS and LightSquared’s proposed LTE (Long Term Evolution) network because he is also a director of GPS vendor Trimble Navigation. Sounds like a no brainer, right?

“As a matter of law, it is undisputed that Parkinson owes fiduciary duties to Trimble Navigation that may conflict with his ability to act with complete impartiality upon matters before the Advisory Board concerning LightSquared,” LightSquared General Counsel Curtis Lu wrote in the petition.

I’ve been harping on the same thing for weeks, I just couldn’t understand why the government wouldn’t pass a deal that’ll not only help save Sprint and LightSquared a bunch of money, but extend 4G services to millions of customers — now, it all makes sense.

[via PCWorld]

About The Author

Charles West

Charles West is a self-described music snob and sports fanatic who loves occasional benders with friends and family. He has written about the mobile industry for TMCnet and Androinica. He also writes at his own blog The Trendaholic. You can follow him on Twitter @TheTrendaholic and Google+

  • Gavin Schrock

    How likely is it that all concerns by all parties raising those concerns; public sector, private industry, civil aviation, public safety, national security, those involved in international agreements on navigation systems; all of those are somehow part of some grand conspiracy? The tests conducted in the first half of 2011, ordered by the FCC and jointly conducted by LightSquared, the military and the GPS industry showed substantial interference across all types of receivers tested. Even LightSquared did not dispute those results. Is it more likely that this attack on the entire process is a desperate move? And that the original proposal is revealing itself to be flawed and the victim of not a grand conspiracy, but instead of bad advice and decisions?