[Satellite TODAY 12-22-11] LightSquared has filed a petition with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to confirm its right to use the spectrum licensed to the company by the federal government, the 4G-LTE wholesaler announced Dec. 21.

   “The one inescapable conclusion from two rounds of independent testing is that the incompatibility problem is not caused by LightSquared’s network,” LightSquared Executive Vice President for Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy Jeff Carlisle said in a statement. “It is clear that GPS devices are purposefully designed to look into LightSquared’s licensed spectrum, and given this evidence, we believe decision-makers should consider LightSquared’s legal rights as the licensee.”

   LightSquared asserted in the petition that commercial GPS receivers are not licensed, do not operate under any service rules, and thus are not entitled to interference protection.

   Carlisle emphasized his company’s assertion that the GPS industry has been on notice for almost 10 years that LightSquared was planning to launch a nationwide broadband network and that the FCC had confirmed this statement. “While we ask the FCC today to confirm our legal rights, LightSquared remains fully committed to cooperate with all parties – the GPS industry, GPS users, and the federal government – to ensure that LightSquared’s network is deployed in a way that is compatible with GPS users.”