Solvency And Services: Could LightSquared Go Two For Two?

It looks like the beleaguered LightSquared may be seeing illumination at the end of the financial and regulatory tunnels, despite past industry objections to its proposed broadband services (CTDaily, 05/15/12). The Va.-based company recently won a three-month FCC experimental license, which it plans to use to test-share the 1675 MHz-1680 MHz band with federal users. It also is looking into ways the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration‘s operations could be migrated to a lower band. Time is short, however; the license expires July 20, about the same time LightSquared is set to emerge from its Chapter 11 status. Notes Jeffrey S. Silva, senior policy director/Telecommunications, Media and Technology at Washington, D.C.-based Medley Global Advisors LLC, “Depending on the outcome of the Chapter 11 proceeding, the FCC could move forward on a rebanding plan submitted last September in which LightSquared would surrender upper 10 megahertz (1545 MHz-1555 MHz downlink) of the total 40 megahertz licensed in the L band, leaving it potentially with 30 megahertz to build a wholesale-based 4G LTE national wireless network.”