Letters to the Editor

Help Exposing

Thanks for all your help in exposing the LightSquared fiasco. GPS World played a significant role in bringing the issue to the GNSS community and by exposing the ineptness (or was it venality?) of the FCC. I know there were many people involved in the effort to scientifically document the effects of jamming of GPS by the LightSquared signal, something obvious to any RF engineer. But like all government decisions, the politics and the economics always take precedence in decision making. The battle isn’t over yet but I hope the FCC will do what is best for the billion GPS/GNSS users worldwide and keep LightSquared and anyone else from interfering with our vital national resource. Your efforts and those of others like the GPS Industry Council will continue to play a key role in protecting GPS from intentional interference.

— Len Jacobson
Global Systems and Marketing Inc.
Long Beach, California
(and on GPS World’s Advisory Board.)

Daughter of Time

A terrific think piece, or call-to-action (Out in Front, July issue). I hope it galvanizes many to write, and write again. I am convinced of the urgency and importance of the situation.

Your earlier column “Tech and Techer” (Out in Front, February) also struck a chord with me and no doubt with many readers of a certain age (and others, of course). It seems many folks now have little patience with the printed word. No doubt the ability to acquire new knowledge (which has a kind of lawlessness to it) is hampered when we are unwilling to take the time to absorb information in a slow and possibly nonproductive way. So many great inventions happened by accident.

As you suggest, the Internet is a double-edged sword and GNSS is, too, for the shortcuts of everyday life (not for the professional). Still, these are wonderful inventions and here to stay. The good news is folks are aware of the dangers.

— Jo Joslyn
Villanova, Pennsylvania

Bundling Pal

You wrote “Genachowski has a long-term and reportedly close relationship with President Obama, who appointed him to the FCC chairmanship.” Researching another topic, I came across this:

“In March 2009, Obama appointed $500,000 bundler and law school pal Julius Genachowski to chair the Federal Communications Commission, an independent agency.”

A bundler in politics turns out to be someone who solicits and then gathers a number of smaller donations to a candidate, and turns them in as a large handful of individual checks. It’s quite legal, but I understand that it does preserve the anonymity of individual donors.

I always enjoy your editorial pieces, and I trust the industry will eventually be able to push LightSquared off their frequencies — or at least off the high-band one. But clearly it won’t be without a major struggle — there’s too much money at stake.

— Adrian Lucas
former commercial pilot, Canada