Joint Release: Reps. Austria and Yoder Issue Statement on FCC's Lightsquared Decision

Statement

Today, Congressman Steve Austria (R -- OH) and Congressman Kevin Yoder (R -- KS) released the following reaction statement after the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) decision to indefinitely suspend the expansion of LightSquared's wireless network:

"I am very pleased to see that language Congressman Yoder and I authored to protect the global positioning systems (GPS) industry was included in the President's FY2013 budget, and with the recent decision of the FCC. I was encouraged that the FCC recognized the unresolved concerns of the harmful interference to GPS as posed by LightSquared," said Congressman Austria.

"I'm very encouraged with the FCC's decision to block the proposal by LightSquared. There have been numerous tests revealing varying levels of interference on existing GPS receivers and equipment," stated Congressman Yoder. "It is my hope that the FCC maintains this position until LightSquared is able to resolve these interference issues."

"Last year, we worked closely with various groups, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation, and local businesses in our districts to ensure that GPS technologies used by our pilots, first emergency responders, firefighters, and others are not hindered or interrupted. While continuing to advance broadband technology is important, any expansion must be done in a responsible manner that ensures current GPS systems are not interfered with," Congressman Austria concluded.

The FCC made its ruling based partly on a National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) report that stated LightSquared's network "would cause harmful interference to many GPS receivers." Both Congressman Austria and Congressman Yoder sit on the House Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for funding the NTIA.

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