Ah, LightSquared. What once was part of Sprint’s grand scheme to bring an LTE network to the masses is now in desperate need of saving. LightSquared has invested billions of dollars into plans for a nationwide 4G LTE network, only to find the chosen spectrum has a good chance of interfering with critical GPS devices after a lengthy FCC investigation. The FCC put LightSquared’s plans on hold, leaving the company in dire straits.
There’s a growing movement to save LightSquared, led by a few individuals from an organization which has a knack for not getting things done lately: congress. U.S. Senators John Kerry (D – Mass.) and Lindsey Graham (R – S.C.) issued a letter to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski asking the chairman to allocate different, non-interfering frequencies for the fledgling startup.
If the FCC does nothing further with LightSquared, the company faces almost certain bankruptcy as most (if not all) of LightSquared’s partners have backed out of deals they’d had with the company. It is unlikely that the FCC will do as Senators Kerry and Graham suggest, however, as cellular spectrum is a scarce commodity, and many other established carriers have complained often about not having enough spectrum to meet an ever-growing consumer demand.
The letter from the Senators was dated March 29th. Hopefully we’ll hear back from the FCC soon to determine what the ultimate fate of LightSquared will be.
[via The Hill]