A group of 30 senators will urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) through a letter to reverse its approval of Ligado’s application to use the L-band spectrum to field a mobile broadband network to provide 5G services, C4ISRNET reported Thursday.
The FCC is expected Friday, May 15, to receive the letter, which cites potential disruption of GPS signals and impact on military, agriculture, emergency response, trucking and logistics and other commercial activities as a result of the decision.
“FCC’s actions also threaten weather satellites, crucial to saving lives and property when tornadoes, hurricanes and floods strike. GPS also forms the backbone of countless military operations and applications,” according to a draft of the letter obtained by the publication.
The lawmakers who signed off on the letter include Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.); Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), ranking member of the Senate panel; Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Finance Committee; Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee; and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), chair of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
Pentagon officials testified before the Senate Armed Service Committee on May 6 to present their arguments over the FCC decision.
