FCC rules against wireless proposal

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. company LightSquared's plan to become a fifth major wireless carrier was stymied as regulators cited satellite interference in blocking its launch.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration said Tuesday LightSquared's network could interfere with Global Positioning System signals, a possible dangerous risk to both consumer navigation devices and to the military and the aviation industry, which use GPS to guide airplanes and missiles.

Following the NTIA's decision, the Federal Communications Commission revoked a waiver that would have allowed LightSquared to turn on its network, CNN reported.

The FCC said it would issue a public proposal that would bar LightSquared from launching its service "indefinitely."

LightSquared wants to sell wireless bandwidth on a wholesale basis as a competitor to AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.

However, LightSquared's spectrum of airwaves used to broadcast wireless signals is directly adjacent to the GPS industry's spectrum, raising the concern of interference.

"There is no practical way to mitigate potential interference at this time," Tammy Sun, a spokeswoman for the FCC, said.

LightSquared has accused regulators of "coddling" the GPS industry.

"GPS in America has become 'too big to fail,'" Jeff Carlisle, head of LightSquared's regulatory affairs, wrote in a blog post this week. "Like Wall Street, the manufacturers of GPS devices have spent years profiting off of vulnerable technology and are now seeking protection from the government instead of implementing the necessary reforms."