Disastrous GPS Jamming

The FCC granted LightSquared’s Experimental License application on Friday (April 15), despite DOT/FAA objections. The license allows LS testing in Reston and Baltimore now through June 15.

See: https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/els/reports/STA_Print.cfm?mode=cu....

coordinates are -77.316111, 38.945278

It's 10 km from Dulles Airport and along the Dulles Tollway.

I wonder what will happen if a few jets slide off the runway...

In a different FCC docket, dealing with expansion and adjacency issues, the FCC commented that the GPS industry had been on notice since 2003 that adjacent band operation was coming, and so had ample time to clean up their act.

I'll look for the exact docket as that's a paraphrase, but from what I read over the weekend in that docket, it would seem that Lightsquared's regulatory guy has support at the FCC for their position, that it's the GPS manufacturer's fault if their gear breaks, and besides, look on the bright side, they'll get to sell consumers a whole new generation of products!

Not to mention the lawyers who will file class actions against the GPS industry, cleanup with a nice settlement and send us $2 coupons good for a new GPS.

I hate what the FCC is doing but I grudgingly have to admit that LightSquared may have a point. Device made after 2003 should have been better designed for adjacent signal interference.

So has anyone in the Baltimore or Reston areas seen any effects on GPS devices from the Lightsquared testing??

this is not good.

I read the article to the link looks like they are going to test it for 10 day,big deal and if all goes well there for them I guess we will see lightsquared all over the country,as we all know they are just throwing us a bone because so many people. complained.

If there are no complaints about interference, then we have nothing to worry about. If one of us experiences interference, this would be one place to voice that.
Attention: Jeffrey Carlisle
Street Address: 10802 Parkridge Blvd
P.O. Box:
City: Reston
State: VA
Zip Code: 20191
Country:
E-Mail Address: jeff.carlisle@lightsquared.com

I just heard from Jeffery Carlisle that all outdoor testing has been canceled in Reston, VA due to concerns from the FAA and the proximity to the airport.

Over the past week or two I've been driving through this area, and have not had any issues so far.

4/14/2011 - 4/24/2011 is the operational dates for these transmitters. If your driving, many GPSs will lock you to the closest road to its current coordinates, so while it may appear on the normal map screen that you are driving along on the road just fine, what you may find from the satellite screen is that the actual deviation may be a couple dozen, to a couple of hundred feet because of poor reception.

How could this affect a GPS? In open country, this may not be much of problem since there may be no roads nearby that the GPS could mistakenly lock you onto. In a dense suburban area, your GPS might have your vehicle on the wrong road.

If anyone can check to see if the Accuracy (as its referred to on a Garmin GPS) is affected in those areas, this would greatly help. Most recent GPSs can get an Accuracy to below 20feet easily, especially in open areas and with plenty of satellites in view. If going into the area covered by those transmitters (not sure the radius and/or direction), check to see if the Accuracy increases/satellites are lost (poor reception).

Well that says a lot.So if the FAA thinks it is interfering then maybe lightsquared will have to change it's holier than thou attitude,when they said gps should have kept up their system.

It could also mean the FAA hasn't done any testing of their own and they are afraid there MIGHT be a problem. It's the same mentality that won't let you have any electronics turned on in the passenger seating area below 10,000 feet.

I spoke to a TomTom Rep a little while ago and I asked him about this and he said TomTom units wouldn't be effected by this because they use goverment satellites,a different wave lenth,I didn't know to laugh or believe him.

ROTFLMAO: It's not like they are going to admit they have a problem. It would be truly sad if that is what he really believed (or what he was being told).

Problem! What problem?

Hear no... see no... speak no

This sat in my inbox since Friday, but I know it's of interest to all here.

CONTACT:

Andrea Candrian (Roberts) 202-224-4774

Jake Thompson (Nelson) 202-224-6551

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 20, 2011

Senators Pat Roberts and Ben Nelson to FCC:
GPS MUST BE PROTECTED
Bipartisan group of senators tell FCC that the threatened system is a matter of public safety and national defense
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) sent a letter today to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski, asking him to take all necessary steps to protect the Global Positioning System (GPS) from interference that could cause interruptions.

“Millions of Americans rely on GPS to get around safely every day. It is also critically important to aviation safety, first responders, civil engineers who monitor dams and bridges, and it is central to our national defense capabilities,” said Roberts, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “GPS is an integral part of our national economy. Farmers rely on GPS for greater efficiency and environmental protection, and just about every industry from manufacturing to distribution has come to rely on this valuable national utility. Reliable GPS affects virtually every American. GPS is far too important to have anything interfere with it.”

“Many Nebraskans rely on GPS daily. From boosting crop yields to helping aircraft land safely, from improving rail safety to guiding drivers to their destinations, GPS is a vital tool for our economy, agricultural producers, national defenses, emergency responders and transportation networks,” said Sen. Nelson, a member of both the Senate Armed Services and Agriculture committees. “Any interference could have a far-reaching and detrimental impact across our state and nation. As high-powered communication networks continue expanding, the government must make sure GPS isn’t disrupted or degraded because it’s an essential utility to millions of Americans.”

The letter comes after the International Bureau, a sub-organization within the FCC, granted a conditional waiver earlier this year to allow a company, LightSquared, to build 40,000 ground stations throughout the United States to enhance its satellite network. Those stations could cause widespread interference to nearby GPS receivers, because the spectrum used by LightSquared is adjacent to the spectrum used by GPS.

Sen. Roberts and Sen. Nelson led the bipartisan letter, co-signed by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Sen. Johnny Isakson R-Ga.), Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.),Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.).

The letter asks that the full Commission be involved in the process of making sure GPS is not compromised in any way, that the FCC require an objective demonstration of non-interference with GPS, and that the waiver for LightSquared be withdrawn until this demonstration is met.

To view a signed copy of the letter, click here.

Full text of the letter is below:

We write to express concern regarding a recent order by the International Bureau granting LightSquared Subsidiary LLC (“LightSquared”) a waiver of the “integrated service” rule with regard to its Mobile Satellite Service license in the L-Band. We urge the full Commission to give appropriate attention to this matter.

Numerous parties have raised significant concerns about interference from the LightSquared system into the Global Positioning System (GPS) frequencies. These parties included the GPS industry, aviation, agriculture, construction, cellular telecommunications companies and government entities such as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Homeland Security. We have substantial concerns that LightSquared’s proposal places an unacceptable risk to public safety through interference with GPS receivers necessary for aviation, first responders, agriculture, construction, maritime navigation, E-911, and national defense systems.

GPS is integral to the functioning of our economy, and is essential for public safety. To ensure full protection that GPS service is not compromised in any way, we request the full Commission require LightSquared to demonstrate non-interference of GPS as a condition prior to any operation of its proposed service, and we request the Commission rescind LightSquared’s waiver until this demonstration can be made.

We recognize the Commission’s unique obligation to the public, and its commitment to ensure appropriate use of the nation’s airwaves. We urge the Commission, therefore, to ensure the uninterrupted operation of our nation’s critical GPS system.

-30-

Sean M. Farrell

Legislative Assistant

U.S. Senator Pat Roberts

109 Hart Senate Building

Washington, DC 20510

202-224-4774

Nice to see the Dems and Reps getting together for a solid stance on an issue. I hope they continue in other venues.

Bravo, ladies and gents. Well done!

http://orbitrax.com/?p=4468

Life is getting interesting, with "requests" for correspondence from the Senate, and the aforementioned letter to the FCC.

Maybe our equipment (poorly designed as it is, if you belive the FCC and some others) will still have utility after all...

Might find this article interesting...

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/GPS_Advisory_Huge_Area_...

Roy Adams

I can't believe (someone) is finally using COMMON SENSE with this Lightsquared thing....

Follow the money trail. The government is in deep debt. Programs have been enacted with no means to pay for them. In 1996 the budget was balanced through the sale of radio frequency spectrum.

The National Broadband Plan was enacted "to bring Internet to the 'poor and under served of the nation.'" Service is to be provided by commercial carriers using wireless technology over frequencies they would purchase at auction - from the US Government. The cash paid for those frequencies would balance the budget and pay for the programs which were enacted without means to pay for them.

The MSS spectrum is lightly used. Granting the waiver to build high power ground stations to carry Internet makes this spectrum more valuable. The US Government controls a vast amount of spectrum that is not available for commercial use.

Do you see a pattern developing? We are running out of "rich" people to tax, so we have to raise money to redistribute it to those "who are less fortunate so they can share in the wealth that is America."

Interesting article but I cannot help but feel it is bluster. Hopefully we will know more details on June 15th when the FCC is expected to issue its final ruling.

I still think LightSquared will come up with a funding solution to protect government users of GPS and throw us civilian users to the scrap heap. If LightSquared offered to replace all GPS receivers in government/police/fire/ems vehicles it would still cost them less than having to scrap the entire project. The rest of us would be covered under the FCC's declaration that our equipment is faulty and that it is our problem to get it fixed.

I will cheer if Congress does in fact stop the GPS interference issue but I have my doubts that they will go that far. The money is just too good.

The FCC won't be ruling on June 15th. That's the date the report on the testing has to be filed.

The govt is out of money. In fact they've been out of money. So they start taking back from those who have. Wait until they lift the tax ban on the internet sales....

They are working hard on doing that.

Test Results: LightSquared Would Cause Serious Interference to GPS Receivers

http://www.insidegnss.com/node/2630

A key item in the above report is about the amount of energy transmitted at the antenna. The report states the test was run with a power level of 59 dBm which puts the signal strength equivalent to 759 W. The authorized power was 62 dBm. While 3 dBm doesn't sound like a lot, it really is. A 3 dB drop in power means only 1/2 of the power is available. LS is authorized to transmit with a radiated power of 62 dBm (1,500 W) or twice what was used in the tests.

Additionally, tests involving units certified for aviation use showed similar results.

http://www.insidegnss.com/node/2628

Note the differences in the amount of filtering between the "commercial" units we typically use and the aviation units.

As we have all known is that if the government gets involved in any thing it screws it up, keep the government out of everything.

Nuff Said

I found this line from one of the previous links interesting:

Since the FCC is an independent agency, can congress do any more than make a simple request? What power does congress have to fix this?

thats just like the govenmrnt

The following articles seem to suggest Congress does have the power to do something about the FCC.

http://www.c-span.org/Events/Congress-Examines-FCC-Policies/...
Washington, DC
Friday, May 13, 2011

A House panel held a hearing today to examine how the Federal Communications Commission does its work.

A memo by a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee stated, "There is growing consensus that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) processes need reforming. Under both Democrat and Republican chairmen, the FCC has fallen into practices that weaken decision-making and jeopardize public confidence."

The House Energy Committee chair, Greg Walden (R-OR), is considering amending the law to alter how the FCC operates. The memo lists numerous proposed changes that the committee says would increase transparency, allow for more public input and speed up the commission voting process.

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/summary-fcc-ex-parte-rules-governi...
Summary of FCC Ex Parte Rules Governing Congressional Communications

In some types of FCC proceedings, Congressional communications with the Commission or any FCC staff are prohibited unless the communication is served on the parties or the parties are invited to be present. In other proceedings, communications may need to be placed on the public record. Basic information about such "ex parte presentations" and the Commission's rules is discussed below.

http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/congress-back-work-has...
Congress, Back at Work, Has FCC in Its Sights
House Republicans aren't happy with the way the regulator has been going about its business lately, and they're getting ready to do something about it By Katy Bachman.

That would be for sales tax paid to the states. I am waiting for the Federal Government to implement a VAT at 25 or more percent. :/

In today's (06/01/2011) Houston Chronicle Lightsquared ran a full page ad about how wonderful it will be and how they are going to bring wireless to the masses and rural area's great now I can't wait for the test to be finished to see what they really show,I bet even though they mess up gps's it still gets approved.

LS has announced they will be doing a stock offering before too long. That means Mr. Falcone and his buddies will be able to sell their portion of the investment and walk away with pockets full of cash and those that bought the stock stuck with useless paper if Congress stops the FCC.

The FCC is a legislative agency meaning it was created by and receives its authority delegated from Congress. The legislation that created the FCC and gave it its powers is the Telecommunications Act of 1934 as amended. The last truly major amendment was the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It was shortly after this act was passed Al Gore stated he invented the Internet. The problem with the way the Commission is acting is all the Commissioners are appointed by the President so they think they answer to the Whte House rather than Congress. Somebody needs to retake Civics 101.

I might actually take that bet and buy some LS stock. I'll put my money where my mouth is and bet this gets approved regardless of how disastrous it is for GPS. The FCC wants it and is not about to step back and admit they made a big mistake in January.

Thirteen days to the final report...

"With Best Buy, Cricket, and Leap already signed on as partners, LightSquared has a lot riding on the success of its nationwide LTE network. Unfortunately, the Airforce's concerns about it interfering with GPS have been born by a test run in New Mexico. Officials in charge of the state's 911 systems as well as trucker hat kings Deere & Co. reported loss of service up to 22 miles away from LightSquared's cell tower. The company believes it has a solution to the interference problem, but hasn't specified exactly what the fix might be. Now the 4G wholesaler's future rests on a June 15th report to the FCC detailing the potential issues for both consumer navigators and the precision GPS systems used by the military and airlines -- but when even John Deere is lobbying against you things start to look a little bleak."

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/02/lightsquareds-lte-breaks-...

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/02/lightsquareds-lte-breaks-...

With Best Buy, Cricket, and Leap already signed on as partners, LightSquared has a lot riding on the success of its nationwide LTE network. Unfortunately, the Airforce's concerns about it interfering with GPS have been born by a test run in New Mexico. Officials in charge of the state's 911 systems as well as trucker hat kings Deere & Co. reported loss of service up to 22 miles away from LightSquared's cell tower. The company believes it has a solution to the interference problem, but hasn't specified exactly what the fix might be. Now the 4G wholesaler's future rests on a June 15th report to the FCC detailing the potential issues for both consumer navigators and the precision GPS systems used by the military and airlines -- but when even John Deere is lobbying against you things start to look a little bleak.
-- -- -- -- -- --

Not good when they start screwing with precision farming technology...

Actually, that "screwing with precision farming technology" may well be a major point--most commercial farming tractors (such as are used on big farms) actually have their plots guided by GPS due to the larger "factory farms" being so darn huge nowadays. (This also counts for modern combines and pretty much any modern large farming tractor with a cab--they almost pilot themselves via GPS. Pretty impressive, and a possibility for pretty impressive issues with farming if GPS gets interfered with a la Lightspeed.)

So it's not a huge shock to me that John Deere is directly lobbying against it--I'd also not be shocked to see Case/IH, Massey-Fergurson, and Mahindra join in (as all also make GPS-steerable and GPS-enabled industrial farming tractors and farming equipment).

(Yes, BIG farms are surprisingly mechanised nowadays.)

The article at http://www.insidegnss.com/node/2630 has an interesting statement at the end of the article:

This is exactly what I was predicting earlier in this thread. I have no doubt that LightSquared, if pressed, would pay whatever it takes to fix government GPS receivers and leave those of us in the commercial market to pound sand. Compared to the profits they stand to make with their network, fixing just the government equipment would be a small price to pay to get approval of Congress and the multitude of government agencies. The rest of us can use our PND's as paperweights if we are unlucky enough to live in areas where LightSquared transmitters will be located. On the plus side, Canada may be a good market to sell used GPS's as they will not have to deal with LightSquared interference.

A dime on a dollar... Fire sale pricing!

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/10/government-report-finds-l...

Go to GPS.GOV and you can look at the presentations that were made. The report GG is talking about is from an expert at the FAA. It is pretty damning.

Well, it's June 15th and all the testing reports were supposed to be filed with the FCC today. Guess who asked for, and got a last minute extension on filing?

OK, so that was a no brainer. Every test, and every other report written showed interference from the proposed network to units needing signals from the GPS satellites. LSQ, in what some may call a masterful stroke received a waiver of their filing date till July 1st. This gives them time to read and digest all those reports that were filed by the deadline and dream up new excuses for why their system will not cause inteference "because the failing receivers were poorly engineered and we can fix it with new antennas."

On the other side of the coin, it gives the congress critters more time to pressure their agency - the FCC - to rescind the waiver. The FCC answers to Congress, not the White House even though they have been marching to the tune being played at 1600 Pennsylvania avenue for several years.

I am not surprised and my gut feeling is LSQ is going to pull a rabbit out of the hat and get approval from the FCC, letting other agencies and groups fight the battle.

I was not surprised to see them ask for an extension. I am sure there will be a lot of midnight oil burning between now and July 1st to come up with excuses and workaround that the FCC will buy. FCC Chairman Genachowski wants this project to go forward, despite comments to protect GPS, and any excuses LSQ can give him so he can cover his butt will be welcomed by the FCC.

LightSquared Update

Recent tests have shown that LightSquared's proposed grid of 40,000 wireless network ground stations could interfere with GPS signals, and now the FCC has granted LightSquared a two-week extension to file a report on its position. LightSquared's report was originally due Wednesday, the same day the FCC granted the extension. LightSquared spokesman Jim Carlisle said Tuesday that the company underestimated the number of tests that would be necessary to show the network should be allowed. In a letter to the FCC, Carlisle wrote that additional testing "was necessary to permit a proper evaluation of various mitigation options for addressing the GPS receiver overload issue." And that producing a report is really hard.

"Producing a final report is a massive undertaking," Carlisle wrote, citing the multitude of factors involved in the process. The FCC responded by granting the company a new deadline of July 1. In response to the FCC's decision, co-founder of the Coalition to Save our GPS and Vice President of Trimble Jim Kirkland described his understanding of the process, so far, saying, it's "been a combination of really really bad ideas and slightly less bad ideas." According to Kirkland, too much of the burden of proof has been placed on the companies that could be most affected by LightSquared's network. Said Kirkland, "The FCC should let the private industry return to work and stop squandering resources to solve an unsolvable problem."

So now Lightsquared wants to "adjust" thier output to avoid interfering with gps signals....

excerpt:

"Still, GPS equipment makers were not convinced. Jim Kirkland, vice president and general counsel of Trimble Navigation Ltd., which makes GPS systems, called LightSquared's new plan a "Hail Mary move." He said the results from the recent government tests and the tests done by the FCC-mandated study group show that even if LightSquared moves to the Inmarsat spectrum, it will still interfere with many critical GPS receivers beyond just precision receivers."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Wireless-network-outlines-apf-...

This seems to stink more, and more...

The 'Next Chapter' is just another dodge.

They asked for the "universe" and now will take what they can get......

Reported by IDG News: "Mobile broadband startup LightSquared proposed an alternative network plan on Monday in which it would use different frequencies to prevent interference with GPS."

So the results were bad enough to change the plan. However, the new plan is only temporary and with still some problems.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/230780/lightsq...