LightSquared filed its much anticipated report with the FCC on the potential of interference to GPS operations, and the report concludes that “transmissions in the 10 MHz band at the top of LightSquared’s downlink frequencies — the band nearest to the GPS frequencies— will adversely affect the performance of a significant number of legacy GPS receivers. LightSquared’s proposed solution is to “permit it to commence operations on the lower 10 MHz portion of its spectrum that poses no risk to the users of over 99 percent of GPS devices and to coordinate and share the cost of underwriting a workable solution for the small number of precision measurement and other devices that may be at risk.” LightSquared will delay using “the upper 10 MHz of its frequencies in which transmissions may jeopardize legacy GPS usage,” but it does intend to ultimately use the “full complement of terrestrial frequencies operating at appropriate power levels.” In its Report, LightSquared blames the GPS industry for failing to filter their receivers, despite knowing since 2003 that there was a risk of adjacent band interference from LIghtSquared and other services in the nearby bands. It also criticizes the GPS industry for having “attempted to deflect public attention from their own failures by subjecting LightSquared to a massive, vitriolic public relations and lobbying effort outside the scope of this proceeding.” For more information, contact the UTC Legal/Regulatory Department.

NIST has created a forum to discuss the impact of electromagnetic compatibility and interference on the operation of the smart grid. The agency states that electromagnetic disturbances and interference are two of the “…major standards-related issues and barriers impacting standardization efforts and progress toward a fully operational Smart Grid.” This forum is intended to start the discussion of how to ensure that the appropriate standards are specified or developed and then applied to ensure the Smart Grid systems are resistant to harmful electromagnetic events and at the same time do not cause interference to other systems. The site can be accessed here. Read more »