WASHINGTON — A new, ultra-fast wireless Internet network is threatening to overpower GPS signals across the U.S. and interfere with airplanes, police cars and consumer navigation devices, among others.
The problem stems from a recent government decision to let a Virginia company called LightSquared build a nationwide broadband network using airwaves next to those used for GPS. Manufacturers of GPS equipment warn that strong signals could jam existing navigation systems.
A technical fix could be expensive — billions of dollars, by one estimate — and there’s no agreement on who should pay. Government officials pledge to block LightSquared from turning on its network this year unless there are assurances that GPS systems will work.
The stakes are high not only for the GPS industry and its users but also for those who would use LightSquared’s network. In approving it, the Federal Communications Commission seeks to boost wireless competition and bring faster and cheaper Internet connections to Americans — even in remote corners of the country.
LightSquared and the FCC insist the new network can coexist with GPS systems. But device makers fear GPS signals will suffer the way a radio station can get drowned out by a stronger broadcast from a nearby channel.
