Federal departments and agencies are lined up on different sides of a debate pitting the development of fifth-generation telecommunications networks against safety and national security concerns associated with the Global Positioning System.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday circulated a draft order to approve satellite communications company Ligado’s application for use of frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum that opponents say would interfere with the reliable operation of GPS applications.
“The draft order that I have presented to my colleagues would make more efficient use of underused spectrum and promote the deployment of 5G and Internet of Things services,” Pai said in a press release.
The announcement drew plaudits from Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as well as Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. The digital rights group Public Knowledge, which usually faces off with the FCC about opening the agency’s spectrum allocation processes up to smaller players in addition to large companies, also supported the effort.
But Pai was acting against the recommendation of some executive branch agencies represented in an April 10 letter from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The letter warned that approving the application would compromise the integrity of GPS, which is managed by the Air Force and is integral to many commercial uses such as routine banking transactions as well as sensitive military operations.
Ligado’s opponents, slice spectrum split government
