LightSquared squabble raises questions about political games | Aviation International News

LightSquared squabble raises questions about political games

The current GPS/LightSquared frequency battle could be described as Washington’s most recent electro-political struggle. At least two years before Presiden

By Andrew Wood • Contributor

July 31, 2011

The current GPS/LightSquared frequency battle could be described as Washington’s most recent electro-political struggle.

At least two years before President Obama’s January State of the Union announcement of the National Broadband Plan, entrepreneurs and investors were already dissecting its several FCC drafts, looking for business opportunities. One of these investors was billionaire subprime mortgage speculator Philip Falcone, who saw real promise in its market potential. In 2009, Falcone’s company, Harbinger Partners, began the acquisition of ailing broadband satellite operator Sky Terra, which already held an FCC license to provide nationwide Internet service via a large satellite that it had ordered from Boeing.

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