The Ligado company (formerly Lightsquared) has asked the FCC for permission to broadcast in frequencies adjacent to those assigned for satellite navigation signals like GPS.
Problem is that signals from satellite navigation systems are very, very faint. About 12,500 miles above the earth, powered by solar panels and broadcasting continuously, GPS satellites broadcast signals that, when they arrive, are fainter that the cosmic background noise. The universe is louder than GPS.
So it is very important that man-made noise in that frequency band be eliminated and prevented. Aside from noise generated within the band, noise can also bleed over from broadcasts in adjacent bands, especially if they are too powerful.
Many experts are concerned that this is what will happen if Ligado is granted their request pending with the FCC. The broadcasts will bleed over and GPS reception will be degraded for many users.
But Ligado seems to be advertising a solution for that. In addition to offering communications services for unmanned systems, they are also planning to offer a GPS augmentation service.
So if the FCC lets Ligado harm your GPS reception, Ligado will be happy to sell you a service to make it better.
