According to a Bloomberg Businessweek story posted late this afternoon, The National Executive Committee for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation & Timing Executive Commission (EXCOM) has advised NTIA that
“There appear to be no practical solutions or mitigations that would permit the LightSquared broadband service, as proposed, to operate in the next few months or years without significantly interfering with GPS..”
and that
“No additional testing is warranted at this time,”
If you have been watching, LightSquared is also loudly protesting the fact that Bradford Parkinson, one of the co-chairs of EXCOM, is also on the Trimble Navigation board of directors.
Here is LightSquared's response to the EXCOM action.
GB
It seems that LightSquared (I just can't bring myself to use the abbreviation "LS" in this context because it appears on all the monuments I set) execs are stalling for time. I'm not sure what that gets them -- a few more months of salary perhaps, or maybe a chance to unload shares before they become worthless -- but at some point I would think that they'd be in breach of their duty to conserve investor capital, and I think that point has been reached. The writing is on the wall in big, bold letters: LightSquared's plan to repurpose space-allocated spectrum for terrestrial use is dead.
I think you are right Jim, I have heard that lightsquared was buying up cellular bandwidth and wonder if that is their plan B.