This is the attitude of the 1%. Screw everyone and everything but us. And we don’t care who gets hurt as long as we billionaires make more money.
A multi-billion dollar gamble by Lightsquared is about to become worthless. The FCC has said that their wireless would interfere with GPS. So now Lightsquared wants GPS exempted from the rules. I doubt they will get the exemption. But this is indicative of the greed and disregard for the public good that most of the 1% have.
Last Friday, one year and a day after the Federal Communications Commission told startup broadband wireless carrier LightSquared it could not begin operations until it demonstrated its network did not cause interference with Global Positioning System receivers, the agency kicked off a review process requested by the company to determine whether GPS receivers are entitled to such protection.
Tsk, Tsk, Bob. Ironically in your occupation zeal, you’ve been tricked into consorting with the enemy. You have an ill-informed inflammatory opinion here that supports the 1% of Big GPS and Big Telecom. What you have missed, most importantly, is that the interference problem can be solved technically. But the solution may cost GPS receiver manufacturers a little something, while so far they’ve made their obscene profits off the publicly funded spectrum used by the publicly funded GPS satellite constellation. It is not in LightSquared’s interest to interfere with GPS, obviously. So it seeks a solution not only for it’s own profits but to change the way competitive mobile data services are delivered in the U.S. That pricing pressure will lower mobile data rates for everyone, including those in the 99% that like to use data-hogging mobile devices. Billionaires at Verizon and AT&T who enjoy what we pay now are also loving your post. Please don’t do me any more favors.
Gosh, I had no idea that Lightsquared were such pristine, selfless angels. Yet when presented with the facts of the FCC report, they snarl and get aggro rather than addressing the concerns.
Plus, your facts are wrong. Lightsquared is now saying the rules regarding GPS should be ignored. This after they were unable to show that their technology doesn’t interfere with GPS. So I’d say they have no interest in aiding GPS or the general public, and are solely focused on saving their now-dicey billion dollar investment.
I think it’s a case of “we were here first” and agree with you Bob. It’s another case of a company trying to bend the rules so that they don’t have to find a workaround on their end.