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LIGHTSQUARED
Newly Signed Appropiations Measure Adds Layer of Political Protection for GPS
[SIGNALS exclusive] When President Obama signed the $1-trillion federal appropriations bill just before Christmas, he also inked into law a provision further protecting GPS receivers from interference from the wireless network proposed by LightSquared. (more)
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BEIDOU
China Publishes Compass/BeiDou 'Test Version' of ICD
China released a long-awaited "test version" interface control document (ICD) for its Compass (BeiDou-2) GNSS system December 27. The 11-page publication covers its open B1 civil signal centered at 1561.098 MHz. (more) |
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GNSS NEWS IN REVIEW
LightSquared Dominates GNSS News during 2011
Based on readership of insidegnss.com news articles, 2011 was the year of LightSquared. Articles about the would-be wireless broadband company that wants FCC approval to set up a terrestrial network transmitting on frequencies next door to GPS and other GNSS L1 signals garnered the most page views on our website for 6 out of 12 months. Only such matters as Wikileaks, a Supreme Court case, the Compass/BeiDou ICD, or Galileo's first IOV launch could break the spell of the continuing LightSquared vs. GPS saga. We reprise those popular news items below.
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JANUARY
OHB-System Disclaims Wikileaks Report of CEO Comments on Galileo
January 16, 2011 - OHB-System AG, builder of Galileo navigation satellites, has issued a statement from its chairman denying a WikiLeaks report that the German company's CEO had told U.S. embassy officials that the European GNSS program was a "stupid idea" and "a waste of EU tax payers money. (more) |
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FEBRUARY
GPS/GNSS Community Feels New Telecom Interference Threat from LightSquared
January 30, 2011 - In his State of the Union address on January 25, President Obama held up the Global Positioning System as a prime example of government providing "cutting-edge scientists and inventors with the support that they need" to create world-leading, job-creating innovation. (more) |
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MARCH
LightSquared GPS Working Group Sends FCC Its First Report on Interference Assessment
March 16, 2011 - Yesterday a working group mandated by the FCC waiver to address the potential LightSquared/GPS interference issue delivered its first monthly report required by the FCC. (more) |
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APRIL
U.S. Department of Justice Seeks Supreme Court Review of GPS Surveillance Issue
April 16, 2011 - On April 15, 2011 the Obama administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the question of whether prolonged police surveillance using GNSS-aided tracking of a suspect requires a search warrant under the provisions of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. (more) |
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MAY
Air Traffic Control Modernization: FAA, NextGen, GNSS, and Avionics Equipage
April 30, 2011 - In between partisan confrontations around the 2011 federal budget and raising the U.S. debt limit, prospects are improving for federal legislation that would provide the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with a regular full-year budget for the first time since Fiscal Year 2007 - including support for completing the transition to a GNSS-driven air traffic control (ATC) system known as NextGen and a "public-private partnership" to equip aircraft with the needed avionics. (more) |
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JUNE
Test Results: LightSquared Would Cause Serious Interference to GPS Receivers
May 28, 2011 - Tests of GPS receiver vulnerability to transmissions from terrestrial base stations in the proposed LightSquared 4G/LTE broadband service were scheduled to wrap up on May 27, but results as we post this message clearly indicate substantial adverse effects on GPS user equipment. (more) |
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JULY
LightSquared GPS Interference Report and Recommendation to FCC Fuels the Fight
July 1, 2011 - LightSquared submitted a 318-page report to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) yesterday on the months-long effort of a technical working group (TWG) to investigate the effects of the would-be cellular broadband company's terrestrial transmitters on GPS receivers operating in an adjacent RF band. (more) |
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AUGUST
GPS Interference Test Results May Not Slow FCC Decision on LightSquared Deal
July 29, 2011 - Having apparently exhausted themselves debating a subject that a majority of Americans considered a non-priority - raising the debt ceiling - the U.S. Congress adjourned for summer recess on August 1, automatically cancelling two House hearings (discussed later in this article) that had been scheduled on the LightSquared/GPS interference issue. (more) |
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SEPTEMBER
LightSquared Would Jam GPS, Defense Officials Tell Congress
September 15, 2011 - Amidst a storm of political controversy and the conspicuous absence of a key administration witness, Department of Defense (DoD) officials told members of Congress today that a proposed broadband wireless service would degrade or render useless billions of dollars of equipment essential to military operations. (more) |
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OCTOBER
Galileo: At Long Last, Launch
October 14, 2011 - Launch of two Galileo in-orbit validation (IOV) satellites next week will bring Europe's long-awaited (and much-delayed) GNSS program into a new phase. (more) |
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NOVEMBER
GPS Timing Used in Experiment to Measure 'Faster Than Light' Particles
November 17, 2011 - No sooner had GPS positioning helped validate key aspects of Einstein's general theory of relativity in the Gravity Probe-B program than GPS timing has been cited as helping bring his special theory of relativity into doubt. (more) |
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DECEMBER
China launches 10th Compass Beidou-2 Navigation Satellite into Geosynchronous Orbit
December 2, 2011 - China launched its 10th Compass/ BeiDou-2 GNSS satellite this morning. This is the third Compass satellite launched this year and the fifth placed into an inclined geosynchronous orbit. (more)
So, here's to a LightSquared-free 2012 and heartfelt wishes for GNSS harmony in the new year.
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