BoatUS is among those lauding the Federal Communications Commision’s decision Tuesday to revoke conditional approval of a proposal cellular network that could interfere with GPS signals.

The decision against private company LightSquared came after the U.S. Commerce Department advised the FCC that “there are no mitigation strategies” that could prevent interference with GPS signals if the company’s cell phone network proceeded as planned.

“This is a significant development for all GPS users,” BoatUS President Margaret Podlich said in a statement. “The FCC, as America’s guardian of our airwaves, needs to protect the integrity of the GPS system. It is one of the most important, reliable, and critical elements in navigation today — on boats, in the air, and on land.”

In July, BoatUS launched a campaign to defeat the planned LightSquared network. Dubbed “Don’t Mess With GPS,” the campaign collected more than 18,000 comments from concerned boaters nationwide and delivered them to the FCC.

LightSquared originally asked the FCC for permission to build 40,000 cell phone ground stations across the country to provide broadband cellular telephone service. On Feb. 14, the FCC said it plans to withdraw the conditional approval it granted to the Reston, Virginia-based company last year.

In a letter to the FCC, the National Telecommunication and Information Administration said tests indicate that the network would “… cause harmful interference to the majority of general navigation GPS receivers tested,” and noted that “handset transmissions have the potential to impact General Navigation GPS receivers.”

LightSquared is backed by billionaire hedge fund manager Philip Falcone, whose company, Harbinger Capital Partners LLC, has reportedly sunk $3 billion into the venture. In an emailed statement, Falcone said the FCC decision “was not a decision based on science or technology, but was a politically motivated decision fueled by special interest groups in the GPS and telecom industry.”

And he suggested that he’s not giving up on the venture, saying, “There are solutions to this problem that can and will address the needs of the GPS community.”

The FCC is accepting public comments on the issue until March 1. Podlich said in the next few days, BoatUS will also be looking at ways of seeking GPS users’ input on the issue and will posting next steps on its website. www.BoatUS.com/Gov

“While the news is positive for America’s boaters, we aren’t out of the woods yet,” she said.

About Deborah Bach

Deborah Bach is the editor and co-founder of Three Sheets Northwest. She is an avid sailor and long-time professional journalist. You can find Deborah aboard Three Sheets, an Island Packet 38, with her husband Marty and their cat Lily.

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