FCC rules in favor of damaging GPS Signal

[Locquatious]

As I recall, the older GPS units had signal reception that was too broad and overlapped into other useful spectrum. The proliferation of the GPS units with the improperly-broad spectrum filters was such that Congress legislated against companies using or trying to use the adjacent spectrum, even though they had purchased rights to the spectrum from the FCC. (The telecoms did not want the competition to provide satellite internet service via the adjacent spectrum. They had many friends in Congress who helped quash that competition.) But it was also required that newer GPS units were to be manufactured with narrower spectrum filters such that signals from use of the adjacent spectrum would not interfere with GPS accuracy. This was how the GPS units should have been manufactured in the first place.

One would think that with the greater signal sensitivity of modern electronics coupled with properly narrow spectrum filters, the GPS accuracy would no longer be harmed by use of the adjacent spectrum. Only older units might have interference.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Locquatious

As I recall, the older GPS units had signal reception that was too broad and overlapped into other useful spectrum. The proliferation of the GPS units with the improperly-broad spectrum filters was such that Congress legislated against companies using or trying to use the adjacent spectrum, even though they had purchased rights to the spectrum from the FCC. (The telecoms did not want the competition to provide satellite internet service via the adjacent spectrum. They had many friends in Congress who helped quash that competition.) But it was also required that newer GPS units were to be manufactured with narrower spectrum filters such that signals from use of the adjacent spectrum would not interfere with GPS accuracy. This was how the GPS units should have been manufactured in the first place.

One would think that with the greater signal sensitivity of modern electronics coupled with properly narrow spectrum filters, the GPS accuracy would no longer be harmed by use of the adjacent spectrum. Only older units might have interference.

I believe this to be about as close to reality your going to get.
So if you have an old as in early 90’s GPS prior to map databases there only showed you a couple lines of numbers, you may be in trouble.

[rondelais]

As I understand the issue, this outfit (which apparently has waited patiently for ten years for the political/corruption situation to get just right) plans to use frequencies close to GPS. Their original idea (ten tears ago) was to force GPS users to put a filter on their antennas. This may be fine for new design large GPS receivers, but is impractical for older existing units to retrofit, and for small receivers such as cell phones and the like. My understanding is that the primary interference will be from ground-based transmitters, and will be a problem only if they are close by. So, ten miles off the coast there should be little impact. However, in close to land is when I really care about GPS accuracy. I also like GPS to work when I’m trying to find someplace in a car.

Last time around, the military went bananas and stopped this foolishness. Since then, they have hardened their critical GPS systems to jamming, so are less concerned. I would think at this point the real opposition has to come from commercial interests - Fedex, UPS, Amazon, etc. They have a lot more influence than the small boater community. Anyway, everyone write your congressman and senator. There needs to be a lot of heat on this.

[kish]

Search Google for "glonass vs galileo"

The term GPS, which really refers to the US system of satellites has become eponymous, by analogy with the usage of "hoover" as a generic vacuum cleaner or "biro" as a generic ballpoint pen.

GLONASS is the Russian system and GALILEO is the European one. ... GALILEO throws yet more satellites into that mix and also offers the potential of increased accuracy.

The GPS app. on my smart phone shows Glonass and Galileo constellations in addition to GPS satelites, but my venerable 20 year old Garmin 128 presumably uses the US gps system only.
So when the original US gps is degraded by land based signals, [in US territories], we have the option of buying a new unit which will probably work as an alternative system without interference.

[NorthernMac]

Never happen like that.

For one the issues it would play from much more important sectors ranging from first responders (EMS, FD, PD) all the way to aviation which uses GPS heavily, even the gov trackers like AIS/ADSB, yeah no way in hell GPS is going to get messed up, even if FCC wanted to, the bigger players would squash it rather quickly.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by kish

So when the original US gps is degraded by land based signals, [in US territories], we have the option of buying a new unit which will probably work as an alternative system without interference.

Except for the fact that they all use the same narrow frequency bands. If you interfere with one, you will interfere with the others.

[Montanan]

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligado_Networks


Ligado Networks is based in Reston, Virginia.[4] The company is governed by a seven-member board of directors[5] with Ivan Seidenberg as Chairman and Doug Smith as president and CEO.[6] Fortress Investment Group, LLC, Centerbridge Partners LP and JPMorgan Chase & Co. own controlling stakes in Ligado Networks; Harbinger Capital Partners maintains a minority stake.[7][8]

Ligado Networks has 40 MHz of spectrum licenses in the nationwide block of 1500 MHz to 1700 MHz spectrum in the L-Band.[9][10] With it, the company is developing a satellite-terrestrial network to support the emerging 5G market and Internet of Things applications.[6][10]

Network and spectrum
The company (as LightSquared) reached a cooperation agreement in 2007 with Inmarsat, a British satellite telecommunications company, that rearranged the L-Band spectrum so the company could use a larger, contiguous stretch of spectrum.[11] Potential interference issues at the time prevented LightSquared from deploying the network.[12]

In 2010, the company acquired licenses to mid-band spectrum when it bought SkyTerra Communications.[13] LightSquared's plans, which did not come to fruition, were to use the spectrum to create a 4G wireless mobile network covering North America.[14][15]

History
Ligado Networks originated in 1988 with the company American Mobile Satellite Corporation (which became Motient Corporation), and later as Mobile Satellite Ventures[16] after a merger between Motient Corporation and TMI Communications.[17] The company originally operated two geostationary satellites covering the North American market: MSAT-2,[18] licensed in the United States, launched in 1995; the next year, the company launched MSAT-1, which is licensed in Canada.[19]

Mobile Satellite Ventures changed its name to SkyTerra Communications in 2008.[20] LightSquared emerged from SkyTerra after Philip Falcone's Harbinger Capital Partners acquired SkyTerra in March 2010.[13] The company received about $2.9 billion in assets from Harbinger and affiliates, as well as more than $2.3 billion in debt and equity financing.[21][22] LightSquared sought to develop a 4G LTE wireless broadband network[14] using spectrum in the L-Band.[10]

The company launched its SkyTerra 1 satellite from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on November 14, 2010.[23] At its launch, the satellite contained the largest commercial reflector antenna put into service.[23] SkyTerra 1 replaced MSAT-1 and MSAT-2 as most of the data from the company's MSAT satellites relocated to SkyTerra 1.[24]

The spectrum the company controls was originally set aside for satellite communications only.[13] That changed in 2004 when the FCC granted approval for the company to augment its satellite network with cellphone towers on land.[13] In January 2011, the FCC approved a conditional waiver to allow the company to use its spectrum for land-based-only LTE communications if the company resolved GPS interference.[25] The GPS industry, aviators and military claimed the company's use of its spectrum would interfere with their communications.[26] In February 2012, the FCC proposed to suspend indefinitely the ATC authorization due to the interference issues with satellite services.[12][27] Three months later, LightSquared filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy.[12]

On December 7, 2015, the company emerged from bankruptcy as a new company[1][2] under the control of Centerbridge Partners, Fortress Investment Group and JPMorgan Chase & Co.; Harbinger retained minority ownership.[8] Also in December 2015, the company reached settlements with GPS companies Garmin Ltd., Deere & Co. and Trimble Navigation Ltd. to establish how the company and GPS companies can coexist.[28][29]

The company announced its new name, Ligado Networks, on February 10, 2016.

[rgleason]

I notice that my Samsung S4 Cell phone's GPS is a lot slower initializing and it is less reliable. Is it possible there is some interference going on now? Or perhaps my cell gps is working in too wide a band?