Not even Garmin really believes a 1 dB rise in the carrier-to-noise ratio represents a good measurement of harmful interference, LightSquared said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 12-340. In a filing last month, the GPS company -- in talking about LightSquared's planned ground-and-satellite-based LTE broadband network and possible interference with GPS signals in adjacent spectrum bands -- had argued even a 1 dB rise in noise floor can affect GPS (see 1509240033). However, LightSquared said, "the 1 dB proposal is a proxy Garmin wants to use for no other reason than Garmin's belief that it is just too hard to show harmful interference any other way." Noise floor actually pales compared with satellite position and atmospheric conditions when talking about causes of GPS errors, and Garmin has not shown any evidence a 1 dB increase in noise floor actually has any effect on GPS device performance, LightSquared said. The ITU has recommended 1 dB increases "for a very limited purpose" -- co-channel interference applicable only to GPS devices using assisted GPS, LightSquared said. In a separate filing Tuesday in 12-340, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions said it is concerned about GPS interference woes coming from use of adjacent spectrum bands. The group said its Copper/Optical Access Synchronization and Transport Committee would be taking part in the Department of Transportation's GPS Adjacent-Band Compatibility Assessment, and that the results of that DOT study, plus any related technical work, "should be considered before any decision is made to change the use of bands adjacent to GPS signals, to avoid any impact to voice and data services on existing and future networks." The group also said it is "crucial to consider how signals in adjacent bands may impact this sector and recommends that test plans for this complex testing be reviewed by neutral parties." LightSquared has commissioned a test aimed at determining the scope and degree of any L-band LTE network interference to GPS (see 1508250070).

Globalstar and Google are at odds over whether the satellite company's proposed private Wi-Fi channel for broadband terrestrial low-power service (TLPS) in the 2.4 GHz band will benefit the public at all. Given that Globalstar is seeking exclusive Wi-Fi use of channel 14, it seems the public interest would better be served by allowing general unlicensed use of the channel "while still protecting Globalstar's satellite services," Google said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 13-213. New spectrum-sharing technologies available, such as interference-avoidance techniques, "need to be considered before the Commission could conclude that limiting Channel 14 exclusively to a comparatively miniscule [sic] number of Globalstar users best serves the public interest," Google said. However, Globalstar said in a docket 13-213 filing posted Wednesday in response, that its own recent tests showing TLPS can alleviate Wi-Fi network congestion show its public benefit (see 1509110018). Meanwhile, Google "is advancing its self-interest by proposing to replace the Commission’s existing flexible spectrum policies with a forced 'one-size-fits-all' approach rendering licensed spectrum subject to sharing obligations that Google itself could administer," Globalstar said. Google has shown no support to back its claim that general unlicensed use of channel 14 could be done while protecting Globalstar services from interference, the company said. And Globalstar again prodded the FCC (see 1510050057) to approve TLPS.

LightSquared remains hopeful it will resolve a legal dispute with Trimble, though talks with Garmin and John Deere have seemingly hit a dead end, attorneys said in a status conference Thursday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan before Judge Richard Berman. LightSquared and Trimble have "exchanged formal proposals" and resolution might be possible within the next 30 to 45 days, said Winn Allen of Kirkland & Ellis, representing LightSquared. But regarding Garmin and Deere, "there has not been substantial progress" since the September status conference (see 1509090013), and mediation with Garmin did not produce any settlement Allen said. "We don't really see a realistic proposal for settlement and what we're talking about is ... not really settling this lawsuit as much as setting regulatory issues before the FCC," said Kenneth Schacter of Morgan Lewis, representing Deere. Philip Douglas of Jones Day, representing Garmin, said LightSquared had made a settlement proposal to all three GPS companies, and it was rejected by all three. A LightSquared spokeswoman Friday said the company continues "to work toward resolution of all technical and business issues to the extent the parties are willing." LightSquared sued the three companies and the U.S. GPS Industry Council in 2013 after they raised concerns that LightSquared's planned ground-and-satellite-based LTE broadband network could interfere with GPS signals in adjacent spectrum space, which led to the FCC revoking LightSquared’s spectrum license, ultimately forcing it into bankruptcy. In that bankruptcy, U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Forrest of New York on Wednesday sided with an appeal for part of the company's plan for emergence from bankruptcy, vacating an injunction against SP Special Opportunities, which is the largest unsecured lender to one of the debtors, LightSquared LP, and which is wholly owned by Dish CEO Charles Ergen. The injunction limited Ergen's involvement in the reorganization. Forrest in her ruling remanded the matter to Bankruptcy Court to see if some injunctive relief is "appropriate."

A chief goal of SpaceX's proposed satellite test is validation of a broadband antenna communications platform design that will be part of the final constellation design, the company said in an FCC Office of Engineering and Technology filing posted Wednesday. SpaceX said it plans to use three broadband array test ground stations on the West Coast to test its Ku-band tests for less than 10 minutes a day on average every 0.9 days. To avoid any signal interference, the microsatellites to be tested will at times reduce the Ku transmission power or at times quit Ku downlink emissions entirely, it said. The company in its filing also clarified its collision avoidance plan, saying it would work with the Joint Space Operations Center on cataloging satellites before launch and making orbital parameters available to it. SpaceX's proposed satellite tests in advance of a low earth orbit constellation providing a global broadband service have seen pushback from Intelsat, because that company has raised concerns about Ku-downlink interference and collision risks (see 1509110013).

The FCC International Bureau is asking for fresh comments on possible means for mitigating ground path interference between direct broadcast satellite feeder link earth stations and earth stations receiving signals in the same 17.3-17.7 GHz band, it said in a notice published Wednesday. The FCC said it allocated that spectrum to broadcasting satellite service (BSS) and fixed satellite service uses, including use in feeder links, and then proposed rules in 2007 to mitigate what it saw as potentially increasing interference in populated areas with 17/24 GHz reverse band BSS subscriber antennas. "Since considerable time has passed," the IB said in its notice, it's seeking updates and additional comments on docket 06-123.

The Satellite Industry Association is urging Congress to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. Without it, SIA President Tom Stroup said in a statement Tuesday, "U.S. commercial satellite manufacturers are increasingly uncompetitive in a global marketplace where foreign buyers account for roughly 75 percent of all commercial satellite sales." Numerous satellite companies have complained about loss of Ex-Im in recent weeks (see 1509210026). According to SIA, since the bank's virtual shutdown July 1, U.S. companies have seen at least three commercial satellite orders withdrawn and the U.S. has not been able to take part in some other competitions. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," Stroup said. "In the highly competitive commercial satellite manufacturing market, support from export credit agencies (ECAs) can be the difference between the winning proposal and a competitive one. And in some cases, ECA support is a required component of the proposal. The longer the Ex-Im Bank remains closed, the greater the damage will be to U.S. satellite manufacturers and the hundreds of local businesses that supply them."

XM Radio is seeking a 180-day extension of the license given for the XM-1 satellite's retirement and relocation plan. In an FCC International Bureau filing Tuesday, XM Radio said its original drift plan -- from 115.25 degrees west to 39 degrees west, set to start in mid-June with orbit-raising maneuvers starting in mid-October -- couldn't be met due to problems with earth stations the company and its affiliates planned to use for fleet management and to free up a tracking antenna. The drift now is scheduled to start Oct. 15, with the two-week orbit-raising maneuvers to start sometime between late February and late April. The original license term was granted in April and expires Nov. 22, with XM Radio asking for an extension to run through May 20.

SiriusXM and the NFL signed a six-year extension of their satellite broadcasting and marketing agreement, they said Wednesday. Through the partnership, SiriusXM carries every NFL game live, they said.

The FCC doesn't need interim milestones to keep satellite companies from "warehousing" spectrum or orbital resources, and should eliminate them or at least make them optional, EchoStar said in a letter posted Wednesday in docket 12-267. A bond or corporate guarantee, and "a reasonable limit" on the number of licensed satellites that are not yet operational would prevent warehousing, EchoStar said in its filing, which included a list of suggestions as the FCC considers changing its Part 25 rules. EchoStar also suggested eliminating the "three-strike rule" for operators with a pattern of missing milestones and that there shouldn't be a three-strike rule at the ITU stage, arguing it similarly doesn't prevent warehousing but instead motivates applicants not to seek space station authorizations. It argued for letting satellite operators have "a reasonable number" of advanced publication information (API) filings pending before submitting an application, saying such a number -- such as five in each band -- would prevent warehousing but still accommodate larger operators "who may need access to several new orbital locations." The FCC should adopt a reverse/escalating bond because that would motivate licensees to return licenses as soon as it's clear they won't be used, and opt for corporate guarantees instead of bonds in some situations, EchoStar said, though it said it believes the FCC lacks legal authority to impose a bond at the API stage. The company also backed keeping the two-degree spacing rule and made some technical recommendations.

LightSquared and the FCC are discussing possible solutions to GPS/LTE compatibility worries about "concepts of flexible use," LightSquared said in an ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 12-340. According to the filing, Reed Hundt -- representing LightSquared in the meeting with Office of Strategic Planning & Policy Analysis Chief Jonathan Chambers and Senior Economist Evan Kwerel and with Policy & Rules Division Deputy Chief Michael Ha -- also said "market-based mechanisms" for retrofitting existing devices are a route to protection of the Global Navigation Satellite System band.