FCC Has Votes To Approve Spectrum Plan Pentagon Rejected

FCC Chair Ajit Pai (Getty Images)

The Federal Communications Commission has introduced a draft order reallocating a specific portion of the radio spectrum for broadband communications, a change that Department of Defense leaders claim will cause "unacceptable” harm to the GPS system, Defense News reports.

The potential move has drawn criticism from members of Congress and raised concerns among other government agencies.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai circulated the draft order among his colleagues April 16, according to an agency news release. The five person commission will now have to vote on the measure, with a simple majority needed to implement the agreement. Industry watchers expect that that the measure will pass.

“After many years of consideration, it is time for the FCC to make a decision and bring this proceeding to a close,” Pai said. “We have compiled an extensive record, which confirms that it is in the public interest to grant Ligado’s application while imposing stringent conditions to prevent harmful interference. The draft order that I have presented to my colleagues would make more efficient use of underused spectrum and promote the deployment of 5G and Internet of Things services." (The next generation of technology to boost wireless connectivity capabilities in known as 5G.)

The order, Pai said in the release, includes language to help protect incumbents, such as GPS, by reporting its base station locations and technical operating parameters before kicking off operations, continuously monitoring the transmit power of its base station sites and shutting down operations if necessary in the event of credible reports of interference.

“Although I appreciate the concerns that have been raised by certain Executive Branch agencies, it is the Commission’s duty to make an independent determination based on sound engineering," Pai continued. “And based on the painstaking technical analysis done by our expert staff, I am convinced that the conditions outlined in this draft order would permit Ligado to move forward without causing harmful interference.”

Attorney General Bill Barr also praised the decision in an April 16 release.

Later in the day, a coalition of commercial interests filed a petition with the FCC to dismiss the application.

The FCC move comes less than 24 hours after three key defense lawmakers sent a note to President Donald Trump, asking him to intercede and convince the FCC not to move forward with the plan.