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RSSRural Officials Urge John Deere to Drop Campaign Against LightSquared
By: Brendan Sasso
Source: Hillicon Valley (The Hill’s Technology Blog)
December 7, 2011 — A group of rural public officials and farmers wrote a letter to agriculture device manufacturer John Deere last week, urging the company to drop its lobbying campaign against wireless firm LightSquared.
LightSquared plans to launch a wholesale wireless broadband service, but tests earlier this year revealed its network interferes with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices. The company has since modified its plan to mitigate the interference problem, but its network would likely still cause problems for some high-precision GPS devices, which are often used in agriculture.
John Deere, which makes GPS devices, is a member of the Coalition to Save Our GPS, a group trying to stop LightSquared from deploying a network that would cause problems for GPS users.
In their letter to Deere & Company, the state officials and farmers argue that LightSqaured's network could improve Internet access in rural area.
"Your attacks on LightSquared could prevent our families from reaping the benefits of this new network," they wrote.
They urged Deere to pay to modify their GPS devices so they will work in the presence of LightSquared's signal.
"Rural Americans deserve the ability to purchase both GPS and wireless broadband devices. Our families need both technologies for an equal shot at the American dream. As your customers, we ask that you take responsibility for repairing your equipment rather than trying to stop an innovative wireless company from making life better for the American people," they wrote.
Basically the FCC made a huge mistake when it gave LightSquared the go-ahead to use radio spectrum that overlaps current GPS signal spectrum. It failed in it's responsibility to protect a vital national resource -- GPS. In almost every case where the LightSquared system has been tested it has effectively wiped out all GPS signals in the test area. The FCC needs to stand up and act responsibly. It would be like the FDA recalling a toxic drug -- it just didn't work.
LightSquared has answered concerns about the interferrence issue by stating that all "legacy" or exiting users need to have their GPS devices altered to prevent the interferrence. That means you. LightSquared wants you to send your 5 year old Garmin GPS in to have a special filter installed by the factory to cure their problem on your dime. This would apply to the US military and anybody else who has an existing GPS. While the 'gubmit generally spends money with aplomb the amount the military and FAA alone would have to spend to add bandaids to their receivers is cost prohibitive; a bad scene for the taxpayer. LightSquared's statement that it's everybody else's problem is mind-boggling and beyond practical.
LightSquared paid some $2 billion for the rights granted by the FCC and then has spent an additional $160 million trying to solve the interference problem to no avail. Unfortunately there are some pretty big players with an interest in LightSquared including Sprint and has lobbied Washington hard to get their way. Many local, state and federal officials have been wined and dined by LightSquared and promised a piece of the action. It really should not have been allowed to go this far.
As a rural professional, I would love a system like LightSquared proposes. As long as it doesn't affect the whole nation the way this saga has.
