32 Senators pressure FCC to reconsider Ligado 5G approval

Approximately a third of US senators sign a letter asking the FCC to reconsider their decision to launch Ligado’s 5G network.
CNET / Marguerite Reardon

Political pressure is increasing on the Federal Communications Commission to rethink its decision last month to allow an upstart Ligado Networks uses the satellite spectrum to build a 5G network of intelligent, industrial devices on the ground. On Friday, a bipartisan group of 32 US senators sent a letter to the agency I urge it to reverse its decision and cite Pentagon claims that the service would interfere with GPS navigation.

Jim Inhofe, chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, an Oklahoma Republican, and senior Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed are leading the effort. The letter also included signatures from six senators who sit on both the Armed Forces Committee and the Trade, Science and Transport Committee that oversees the FCC. These six senators include Sens. Deb Fischer, a Nebraska Republican; Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, and Rick Scott, a Republican from Florida, together with Democrat Gary Peters from Michigan; Tammy Duckworth from Illinois and Krysten Sinema from Arizona.

In the letter, the senators urged the FCC to “immediately stay and rethink their order” and “take greater account of the technical concerns of many federal agencies and private sector stakeholders.”

The letter also criticized the FCC for “the rush of circulation and taking into account the Order itself – no less during a national crisis.”

The FCC said it “stands” for its non-partisan and unanimous decision on April 20 so that Ligado can use its spectrum for 5G. The agency says its technical experts have been investigating interference problems for almost two decades and have come to the conclusion that the security measures set out in the Commission’s approval last month, including the power limits for Ligados radios, should mitigate hazardous interference.

The letter comes after Ministry of Defense officials testified before the Senate Armed Forces Committee On May 6, this interference from 5G radios that Ligado plans to deploy on the ground would affect the accuracy of the weapon systems and interfere with 911 first aid calls based on GPS location information.

In response to Friday’s letter, the FCC reiterated allegations that it had made a rash decision when it “ligured” Ligado’s request to reuse its spectrum. And it defended its “rigorous” process.

“There have been several public comment rounds on the Ligado application, which has been pending for many years,” said a spokesman for the agency in a statement. He added that federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, received the FCC’s draft decision in October last year.

Ligado Networks, previously known as LightSquared, emerged from bankruptcy in 2015 with plans to use its so-called L-band spectrum to satellite communicate with a local 5G network to build a smart device -Connect network aimed at industries such as production, agriculture, commercial transportation and utilities. According to Ligado, the mid-band spectrum planned for the service is in the sweet spot for 5G because it offers the right mix of high capacity and greater range.

The problems with this sliver spectrum are also well documented. Because the air waves that Ligado wants to use sit right next to the spectrum used for GPS navigation, interference problems can occur at certain power levels. To alleviate these interference problems, Ligado has agreed to reduce the power of its transmitters by 99%.

But Pentagon officials argue that this solution is not good enough. In their letter, the senators reiterated the defense ministry’s concerns.

“We are concerned that [FCC] The regulation does not adequately protect neighboring band operations, including those related to the Global Positioning System (GPS) and satellite communications, from harmful interference that would affect numerous commercial and military activities, “the letter said.

Ligado did not immediately comment on Friday’s letter, but in an earlier interview with CNET, the company’s CEO, Doug Smith, said he was confident that the FCC had made the right decision. He believes the Department of Defense has misled lawmakers on the potential for harmful interference, and is confident that once the senators have worked on the technical details, they will trust the FCC’s decision.

“This process took 17 years,” said Smith. “I am absolutely confident that the FCC’s unanimous decision based on an enormous amount of technical data is correct.”

Other top US government officials agree. Ligado’s plan is also supported by Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as well as Democrats such as Senator Mark Warner from Virginia and Rep. Doris Matsui from California.