Grassley Continues to Pursue Information on LightSquared

October 10, 2011

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa continues to seek answers regarding the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and its dealings with the firm, LightSquared. This week, Grassley wrote separate letters to the top investor in and the chief executive of the company, seeking materials that would shed light on why the agency has allowed the company to advance wireless broadband plans, despite serious concerns of technical interference with the GPS systems used widely in military, aviation and emergency response venues. So far, the agency has refused to provide the public with insight into its approval process so far.

“The public’s business ought to be public,” Grassley said.

Grassley’s letters are available here and here.

In related news, LightSquared and ESCO Technologies have signed a wholesale agreement that will enable CareConnect to deliver high-speed mobile data services to its customers.

The senior population in the United States is growing dramatically and is very active, mobile and increasingly technology-savvy. CareConnect is addressing these trends by providing next-generation services and products, including emergency response systems, telephone systems, fixed high-speed Internet access and satellite television services to senior housing facilities throughout the country.

Operating on LightSquared’s nationwide network, CareConnect will be able to deploy the most advanced wireless services available. Residents in CareConnect-supported communities will be able to access and manage their daily schedules, receive community updates, access the Web, video chat with family and friends and run other applications while using the latest mobile devices.

“The senior population in the U.S. is growing, and their need for advanced communications, information and entertainment is also growing,” said Jerry Grove, President of ESCO Technologies/CareConnect. “By partnering with LightSquared, we gain access to a great network that enables us to quickly and cost-effectively deploy new mobile services on the latest devices.”

“We selected LightSquared because of its world-class 4G LTE network, open interfaces, wholesale-only model, and attractive economics,” added Chris Lutts, Vice- President, Networks and Operations at ESCO Technologies. “LightSquared is a critical component of our mobile broadband strategy.”

“This is a great example of LightSquared positively impacting a rapidly growing demographic of the U.S. population,” said Sanjiv Ahuja, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LightSquared. “LightSquared’s wholesale-only business model, which delivers wireless connectivity at extremely competitive rates with no retail competition with our wholesale partners, will enable CareConnect to extend their state-of-the-art telecommunications services to a more active senior citizen community. We’re proud to work with one of the most respected companies serving this market.”