AOPA and GAMA Ask FCC To Halt GPS-Jamming Network

With LightSquared having “entirely failed” to show that its operations are compatible with GPS despite “ample time” for that demonstration, the associations said, the FCC should withdraw its authorization and initiate a rulemaking process to ensure that issues raised in the case are “fully reviewed and approved by the FAA and the Department of Defense before such proposals receive any type of conditional or permanent authorization from the FCC.”

In the months since LightSquared obtained its conditional waiver, opposition has grown across aviation and other industries along with awareness of the risks posed by the high-powered network for GPS. In May many elected officials, concerned about the impact on aviation and other GPS users – such as agriculture – had joined in calling on FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to revisit the network approval process. An FCC bureau conditionally approved the network plan before technical study results were available, and without review by the full FCC.

GAMA is an international trade association representing 70 of the world's leading manufacturers of general aviation aircraft, engines, avionics and related equipment. GAMA's members also manage fleets of aircraft, fixed based operations, and pilot training and maintenance training facilities. GAMA is headquarted in Washington, DC, with a European office in Brussels, Belgium. For additional information, visit GAMA’s website at www.GAMA.com