Inhofe says committee will look at DOD spectrum policy following Ligado bandwidth decision

The Senate Armed Services Committee will host a hearing next week on the Federal Communication Commission's controversial decision to approve a satellite communications company's request to use L-Band spectrum, despite warnings about the usage potentially interfering with GPS signals.

Witnesses for the May 6 hearing will include DOD Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin, U.S. Space Command chief Gen. John Raymond, and Thad Allen, the former commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, according to a committee statement today.

The hearing will be held in Room SD-G50 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building under Centers for Disease Control guidelines.

Allen, who retired from the Coast Guard in 2010, is chairman of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Advisory Board, which "provides independent advice to the U.S. government on GPS-related policy, planning, program management, and funding profiles in relation to the current state of national and international satellite navigation services," according to the board's website.

Leadership of both the House and Senate defense committees have come out against the FCC's unanimous decision to approve Ligado's request. In today's statement, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) said next week's hearing will "review the national security impacts of the FCC's order on the Ligado proposal as it relates to our committee's jurisdiction."

"Both publicly and privately, the Department of Defense has expressed serious concerns about the risks Ligado's planned usage poses both to military equipment and ancillary equipment used by the military, industry and everyday Americans as well," Inhofe said. "Given that the FCC has made its decision, it's critical our members understand the national security implications and what steps the military will need to take to mitigate these effects if the decision is not reversed."

However, the Senate Commerce, Science and Technology Committee has jurisdiction over the FCC and national spectrum policy. Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) has neither supported nor denounced the FCC's decision, but in a statement released last week, said he had consulted with both Defense Secretary Mark Esper and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

"As chairman of the Commerce Committee, which exercises jurisdiction over all spectrum issues, I believe we must carefully evaluate the introduction of new wireless services in the spectrum bands that are home to services ranging from GPS to satellite communications and collection of weather data," Wicker said. "I have discussed this with both Secretary of Defense Esper and FCC Chairman Pai, and I believe that a fair and impartial evaluation is necessary to advance our leadership in wireless technologies. I am reviewing the FCC's order with that in mind."