Philip Falcone’s proposed LightSquared wireless service would “create massive interference” with precise agricultural gear guided by global positioning systems, Deere & Co. told federal regulators. Tests conducted in New Mexico show the performance of Deere’s GPS receivers deteriorated within 22 miles of a LightSquared base station, Deere said in a filing Tuesday with the Federal Communications Commission.
“There are major economic consequences,” said Deere, the world’s largest maker of farm equipment. “Deere customers in agriculture, construction, and other applications will lose high-accuracy navigation in and near areas served by LightSquared.”
The FCC is to review concerns that LightSquared, a Reston company backed by Falcone’s Harbinger Capital Partners hedge fund, may interfere with GPS service. LightSquared proposes serving 260 million mobile devices over a network of 40,000 terrestrial towers, using airwaves once reserved primarily for satellite signals.
Makers and users of global-positioning devices, which depend on low-powered transmissions from satellites, say the LightSquared service may overwhelm GPS signals used by mobile phones, aircraft, tractors and military gear. A federal advisory committee has concluded the service may snarl aviation navigation unless it is modified to avoid interference.
The FCC awaits a June 15 report from a working group studying interference issues before deciding whether to let LightSquared move ahead. The group includes GPS users, LightSquared executives and federal officials.
Jeff Carlisle, executive vice president of regulatory affairs for LightSquared, declined to comment on Deere’s assertions.
LightSquared is “open to the full range of possible solutions,” Carlisle said during a conference call Wednesday. “Our network and GPS can coexist. And that’s exactly what we want.”
“A robust GPS system is a vital national resource that LightSquared is not going to jeopardize,” Carlisle said. – Bloomberg
