Lightsquared Accuses FCC of Rigging GPS Tests

A month ago the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration released a report that said the signals emitted by LightSquared Communications’ satellite network interfered with GPS and other navigation devices. That report sounded like a death knell for LightSquared and its major investor, Harbinger Capital led by Philip Falcone.

Now the FCC’s former chief engineer and a LightSquared executive say the tests were “cherry-picked” and the results were “rigged by manufacturers of GPS receivers and government end users to produce bogus results, and revealed details of the testing to document its accusations.” The company makes three specific points:

1. Testing was shrouded in secrecy, no transparency
2. The testing protocol deliberately focused on obsolete and niche market devices that were least able to withstand potential interference
3. The testing standard does not reflect realilty

The company is seeking another round of testing at an “independent laboratory to ensure objectivity and transparency.”