“I think there’s some very compelling petitions for reconsideration before the FCC right now, so I’m hoping that they would hit the pause button,” says Iridium’s legal rep Robert McDowell.
By THERESA HITCHENSon July 10, 2020 at 3:50 PM
WASHINGTON: Iridium is considering legal action to block the FCC’s controversial approval of Ligado’s 5G mobile wireless network, which much of the federal government says will interfere with GPS.
“From our perspective, the record is clear that the Ligado order adopted this spring is detrimental to satellite communications, users, consumers. We are asking the FCC, Congress and — if needed — the courts to change the outcome, to change or modify,” Robert McDowell, former FCC commissioner under President George W. Bush and Barack Obama and a legal rep for Iridium, told a webinar yesterday sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and Aviation Week.
Iridium operates a satcom constellation in Low Earth Orbit that provides worldwide voice, data, and navigation services (including in the classified arena) to commercial as well as DoD and Intelligence Community customers. McDowell noted that the firm just last year finished launching 75 new satellites (called Iridium-Next), worth $4 billion and serving 1.4 million subscribers.
Read more at: https://breakingdefense.com/2020/07/iridium-publicly-threatens-lawsuit-to-overturn-fccs-ligado-vote/