(Bloomberg) -- Leaders of the House Armed Services Committee, citing risks to GPS, asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to reconsider its approval of a mobile network by Ligado Networks LLC -- adding pressure on the agency to reverse itself.
Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith, a Democrat, and the panel's top Republican, Mac Thornberry, in a May 7 letter signed by 21 other members of the committee, expressed “deep concern” over the approval granted April 20.
Ligado says its service would operate at low power and wouldn't interfere with GPS devices using their assigned airwaves. The system would operate in airwaves near those used by GPS, which relies on faint signals from satellites. The FCC earlier defended is action as being based on “sound engineering principles.”
The lawmakers in their letter told the FCC they “want to ensure that the commissioners have independently confirmed” Ligado assertions “with a classified briefing on the testing done by DoD.”
The lawmakers asked whether each of the five FCC commissioners had received a briefing from the Department of Defense on classified test data, and why two members expressed concern about the decision. The lawmakers requested a response within seven days.
A day earlier Dana Deasy, the Defense Department's chief information officer, said the Pentagon would move to overturn Ligado's approval.
The House letter comes a day after the Senate Armed Services Committee convened a hearing on the issue where Pentagon officials publicly detailed what they said was serious potential damage from the FCC's action. Senate panel chairman James Inhofe also expressed strong objections to the FCC's decision.
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