How The FCC Plans To Destroy GPS – A Simple Explanation
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How The FCC Plans To Destroy GPS – A Simple Explanation
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Re: How The FCC Plans To Destroy GPS – A Simple Explanation
#2While an interesting article which does a good job of breaking down the technical details AND citing industry, it doesn't seem to me the FCC is "Planning to destroy GPS".
This sounds a lot more like the FCC not entirely understanding the ramifications of what they approved and/or a company trying to take advantage of licensing loopholes which have unforeseen consequences.
Yes, the FCC fucked up here but it isn't time to bring out the tin foil hats yet.
Re: How The FCC Plans To Destroy GPS – A Simple Explanation
#3Would this affect the upcoming Galileo platform too? Does it use similar frequencies?
Re: How The FCC Plans To Destroy GPS – A Simple Explanation
#4Meanwhile, the FCC's enforcement chief just put out a press release decrying cell/GPS jammers saying they "create safety risks".
http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2011/db0209...
Re: How The FCC Plans To Destroy GPS – A Simple Explanation
#5Doesn't the military still rely heavily on GPS? I have a hard time believing they'd tolerate any kind of interference with such a crucial system.
Re: How The FCC Plans To Destroy GPS – A Simple Explanation
#6Would this affect the upcoming Galileo platform too? Does it use similar frequencies?
Yes if you could actually get Galileo receivers !
Galileo changed the frequency to be slightly different to GPS to allow selectively blocking one or the other - but it's still close enough for this to interfere.
Re: How The FCC Plans To Destroy GPS – A Simple Explanation
#7While an interesting article which does a good job of breaking down the technical details AND citing industry, it doesn't seem to me the FCC is "Planning to destroy GPS". This sounds a lot more like the FCC not entirely understanding the ramifications of what they approved and/or a company trying to take advantage of licensing loopholes which have unforeseen consequences. Yes, the FCC fucked up here but it isn't time…
This isn't just a clerical error, this is the very reason the FCC exists at all.
This would be like the FDA accidentally approving a new drug that gave everyone in a 1 block radius cancer.
Re: How The FCC Plans To Destroy GPS – A Simple Explanation
#8Doesn't the military still rely heavily on GPS? I have a hard time believing they'd tolerate any kind of interference with such a crucial system.
Yes - without it's operation many senior members of staff would be forced to learn map reading to find their way around Washington (or at least their drivers would)
Re: How The FCC Plans To Destroy GPS – A Simple Explanation
#9Ugh, c'mon, people. The FCC isn't planning to destroy GPS. I hate the FCC as much as the next guy on the Internet, but that's too ridiculous for consideration.
What they're trying to do is balance the legitimate right that one user has to a piece of spectrum, with the legitimate right that a lot of users have to some that's adjacent. They'd be looking at nothing but an endless series of lawsuits if they told LightSquared that they couldn't use their spectrum (which they have a license to), particularly since LightSquared has a proposal which -- yes, on paper, but what's on paper matters -- says they'll not interfere with GPS.
It looks much more like the FCC is giving LightSquared an opportunity, either to show that they can make the system workable, or to come up with enough rope to hang themselves, one way or the other. If LightSquared can't resolve the interference issues, then the FCC will have a much better case for an enforcement action than they currently do. (Although an enforcement action might require a rule change, because it's not clear that they would actually be in violation of the rules; front-end overload is typically the receiver's problem, not the transmitter's.)
I'm all for spectrum users being vigilant, and perhaps GPS users need an organization analogous to the ARRL (which protects the Amateur Radio spectrum, and successfully defeated the shitty BPL implementations that were kicking around a few years ago) to nip these things in the bud. But the conspiracy-theorizing is a bit rich.
Re: How The FCC Plans To Destroy GPS – A Simple Explanation
#10Ugh, c'mon, people. The FCC isn't planning to destroy GPS. I hate the FCC as much as the next guy on the Internet, but that's too ridiculous for consideration. What they're trying to do is balance the legitimate right that one user has to a piece of spectrum, with the legitimate right that a lot of users have to some that's adjacent. They'd be looking at nothing but an endless series of lawsuits if they told LightSqu…
Has the FCC ever bothered to actually go after people that abuse bits of the spectrum? Wardrobe malfunctions they are right on top of - but anything that requires technical knowledge seems to escape them.
GPS does have a group that protects it's users - I believe it's called the USAF.