24 - Space-Library

would interfere with a slew of GPS civilian applications ranging
from public safety to aviation to precision agriculture. In the
wake of that report, the company offered to mitigate the
interference issue by transmitting at lower power than previously
planned and by initially using frequencies that are not
immediately adjacent to those used by GPS satellites and
receiver equipment. But the GPS industry, including both the
manufacturers and users of GPS equipment, has not been
mollified. Nor have lawmakers, who along with government
witnesses at the hearing called for more testing of
LightSquared’s revised plan. Charges that the FCC has been too
accommodating to LightSquared stem in part from the fact that
the agency granted several waivers to the company’s operating
license that some GPS advocates believe exacerbated the GPS
signal interference issue. For example, the FCC granted the
company’s requests to increase its transmission power levels
and to allow it to offer a terrestrial-only version of its service.
The FCC granted LightSquared access to a wide block of L-band
spectrum free of charge — cellular firms have had to pay for
spectrum at auction — on the condition that satellite
connectivity be an integral network component rather than an
adjunct. The idea was to encourage industry to deploy a network
that could keep emergency personnel connected even if disaster
disabled terrestrial networks. One lawmaker accused
terrestrial service using spectrum set aside for other purposes.
In a press release issued Sept. 15, Rep. Thomas Petri (R-Wis.),
chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure aviation
subcommittee, said he wrote Ahuja in response to a
LightSquared newspaper ad that the lawmaker said
inappropriately blamed the GPS industry for the interference
issue. “I would suggest that it is LightSquared using a part of the
spectrum for inappropriate purposes that has led to this
dilemma,” Petri wrote, according to the press release. In his
statement, Ahuja said “special interests” were trying to draw
attention away from the facts and noted that LightSquared
received its initial regulatory approvals under FCC chairmen
appointed by the administration of former President George W.
Bush. “Regulators from both parties understand LightSquared’s
approach will create more competition in the marketplace, put
downward pressure on the prices paid by consumers, create
good paying jobs in the tech sector, and give Americans access
to the most modern cellular technology,” Ahuja said.
“LightSquared’s plan has drawn bipartisan support because it’s
right for the country.” Ahuja further noted that LightSquared has
made political donations to both major U.S. political parties and
that of the contributions made by LightSquared’s founder — who
was not named in the statement — two-thirds have gone to
Republicans.
LightSquared of abusing its FCC license by seeking to operate a
http://www.spacenews.com/satellite_telecom/110916-lightsquared-chief-dismisses-allegations.html
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Fri, 16 September, 2011
www.spacenews.com/military/
米 上 院 予 算 法 案 は DWSS 防 衛 気 象 衛 星 システムの 中 止 を 要 求
U.S. Senate Spending Bill Calls for Cancellation of Defense Weather Satellite System
generation of U.S. military weather satellites was dealt a setback
Sept. 15 when the Senate Appropriations Committee called for
the cancellation of the Defense Weather Satellite System
(DWSS). The DWSS program was initiated last year in the wake
of a White House decision to dismantle the troubled National
Polar-orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) and
establish separate programs for military and civilian weather
needs. Northrop Grumman, the NPOESS prime contractor, was
given a $429.9 million Air Force contract in May to get started on
DWSS. Northrop also retained an oversight role on the Joint
Polar Satellite System, the civilian counterpart to DWSS. Senate
DWSS satellite. Credit: Northrop Grumman artist's concept
Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems’ bid to build the next
appropriators, who last year denied the Pentagon’s full funding
request for DWSS, citing a lack of urgency, have now signaled
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