RESTON, Va. June 2, 2020 – Ligado Networks submitted its opposition to the petitions for reconsideration of the FCC’s April Order approving its spectrum license modification. The company also released the following statement regarding its filing:

“The FCC’s unanimous, bipartisan Order in the Ligado proceeding is the culmination of a careful and thorough analysis by the federal government’s communications experts. It is thoughtful, grounded in science, and includes several strict conditions that ensure Ligado’s operations protect GPS and are squarely in the public interest. Unfortunately, NTIA and corporate opponents are still seeking to relitigate the same thoroughly debunked arguments, and – incredibly – paint the agency’s years-long review as a rush job. They present no new data or analyses and provide no legitimate basis for reconsideration. The FCC should deny these petitions and affirm its decision to advance next-generation networks vital to America’s essential industries and workers. We hope such a decision puts an end to desperate efforts to undercut the FCC’s reasoned and properly executed Order.”

Ligado’s opposition to the petitions for reconsideration highlights the completeness and accuracy of the FCC’s Order, including:

• Protection Against Harmful Interference: The Order imposes firm conditions that protect against harmful interference to GPS operations in nearby spectrum bands, based on the results of rigorous technical testing and relevant metrics.
  • “The Order properly concluded that granting Ligado’s applications would not result in harmful interference to GPS operations based on (1) “technical information in the record that evaluates potential harmful interference from Ligado’s proposed operations to GPS devices using performance-based metrics and analysis,” and (2) “[t]he agreements Ligado has reached with major GPS receiver manufacturers, as well as support from other receiver or component manufacturers.” Pg. 11

• Approval by Federal Aviation Administration: The Order properly relies on the expert analysis of the FAA, which clearly determined that Ligado’s proposal would not hinder devices that aircraft use to navigate and communicate.
  • “As the Order makes clear, the FAA is unquestionably the ‘expert agency’ in ‘ensuring the reliability of certified aviation GPS devices.’” Pg. 17
  • “The Order is unequivocal that the Commission relied upon and accepted ‘the FAA’s standards-based analyses relating to certified aviation devices’ to ‘be consistent with the finding[s] in the FAA’s certified aviation device analysis.’” Pg. 16

• Proper Process: The FCC fully consulted with the NTIA and properly executed its review processes as required by Congress. The agency’s more than four-year-long review was methodical and in no way hastily conducted.
  • “Petitioners’ procedural arguments are fatuous given the length of this proceeding and the extensive record developed during that time, which includes thousands of pages of comments, letters, reports, and other assorted filings. Each Petitioner, including NTIA, had ample opportunity to participate in this proceeding and, in fact, did participate.” Pg. 4
  • “Any complaint regarding lack of notice is particularly remarkable from NTIA given that it received a draft of the proposed Order six months prior to its adoption.” Pg. 12

• Addresses Iridium: The Order considered and ultimately disagreed with concerns brought by Iridium, a satellite communications provider trying to leverage a government process to protect its market position and thwart competition.
  • “Iridium criticizes the Commission for not adequately considering Iridium’s technical analysis…This is a swing and a miss. In fact, the Order addressed Iridium’s technical analysis and gave three reasons for not relying on it.” Pg. 21

• 17 Years Too Late: Opponents of the FCC Order are essentially complaining about a notice and comment rulemaking process that took place nearly two decades ago and is well-outside of the scope of this proceeding.
  • “The Order’s grant of Ligado’s applications stems directly from the Commission authorizing and establishing ATC rules for this spectrum in 2003. To the extent Petitioners seek reconsideration of that decision, they are 17 years late.” Pg. 8

About Ligado Networks

Making connections is Ligado’s core mission. Our vision is to modernize American infrastructure by connecting the Industrial Internet of Things. With our current state-of-the-art satellite technology and plans to deploy Custom Private Networks for the businesses that keep this country running, we’re paving the way for future innovations.

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For further information:

Ligado Networks Media Contact:
media@ligado.com