A bipartisan group of 23 members of the House Armed Services Committee sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) questioning whether the commission’s recent Ligado decision may have violated the law. The May 7 letter – signed by committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Ranking Member Mac Thornberry, R-Texas – cites Section 1698 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, stating that the FCC’s recent approval to allow Ligado to operate in an adjacent spectrum band to military Global Positioning System (GPS) networks “may be inconsistent with the legislative direction.” The letter asks the FCC commissioners questions about their decision, and requests a response within seven days. The Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on the topic last week with Department of Defense officials.
