In the second letter in two months to the FCC, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) challenged a bid by Ligado Networks to establish a high-speed cellular communications network on near-GPS frequencies. Ligado Networks, formerly LightSquared, was embattled with the FCC in 2012, over a similar issue regarding GPS interference, resulting in the agency revoking the company’s conditional approval to begin construction of a network. The company says that action forced it into bankruptcy.
In June 2018, FAA Acting Administrator Daniel K. Elwell received the first letter from 11 aviation groups asserting that some flight operations occur close enough to Ligado’s transmission towers to be at risk. They called on the agency to support more testing “by an impartial third-party organization” to evaluate the impact on airspace safety.
The letter acknowledged that the organizations recognize the value connectivity systems offer during aviation operations including enhanced communications, real-time data exchange, and flight tracking, but cannot ignore the potential risks the Ligado proposal presents to pilots.
“There remain outstanding issues that call into question the impacts such a system would have on airspace safety, specifically as it relates to both certified and uncertified GPS systems, continuity of navigational accuracy at low levels, and effects on other safety of flight systems to include satellite communications,” the AOPA letter states.
Ligado claims its technology has improved since 2012, and it will only disrupt GPS signals within 500 feet of the transmission towers. This is concerning to the AOPA since unmanned aircraft, which fly at low altitudes, are especially reliant on GPS operating within 500 feet of Ligado cell towers.
“Ligado’s proposal appears to ignore these other GPS devices, the protection of which must be ensured by the Commission,” the second letter, signed by 28 organizations, argued.
Over two dozen aviation-related organizations urged the FCC to deny Ligado Network’s pending license modification application. The AOPA and other organizations want to ensure the planned network won’t cause any disruption for GPS systems including for aircraft operating near the towers.
By Keara Piekanski, Inside Towers
July 30, 2018
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