Ligado Networks… offered giant concessions to the GPS industry in hopes of getting use out of the hostaged frequencies. It greatly stepped down the power of its proposed devices. It essentially gifted a large swath of its spectrum to GPS users, making it a “guardian band” to protect their devices. GPS-device makers, to their credit, have been improving their products too. Understand: Low-power GPS users have no claim to the frequencies in question, but essentially occupied them anyway by being vulnerable to interference.

The FCC should let Ligado use satellite licenses for cellular services. It should also permit competitors, including Ligado, to bid for new L-Band spectrum rights. Remaining border disputes should be consigned to binding arbitration, not allowed to sandbag progress in open-ended skirmishing. This would move radio spectrum out of oblivion and into the mobile broadband networks craved by consumers, innovators and the U.S. economy. Just like the National Broadband Plan called for in 2010.