FCC OKs Globalstar TLPS Plans

has the company dropping its plans to use unlicensed spectrum (see 1611100031) -- went on circulation last week (see 1612190052) after numerous former opponents signed off (see 1612130020 and 1612090043). While the Hearing Industries Association last week said that it still needed more technical details regarding what kind of interference problems Globalstar's service poses for unlicensed users of the 2.4 GHz band (see 1612150041), the FCC in the order said that while there is a benefit to using weak Bluetooth signals for hearing assistance devices and other unlicensed devices operating in the spectrum, especially to preserve battery life, "this design choice does not warrant constraints on users of the spectrum outside the licensed bands." The agency also said that it repeatedly has made the point that unlicensed devices don't get protection from harmful interference and thus more tests to determine the interference susceptibility those devices face from operations in adjacent bands "are unwarranted." Globalstar CEO Jay Monroe said the company anticipates "a busy 2017 as we plan to put our terrestrial authority to use for American consumers and pursue similar authority internationally.” Commissioner Mike O'Rielly -- who was the subject of heavy Globalstar lobbying over the summer -- said in a statement he was "somewhat surprised by the path this proceeding took and the public spectacle that occurred earlier this summer. I did not expect to be the deciding vote on the item, as originally circulated, but once there I went about my normal review to understand the proposal's details and the concerns raised in the record. It was never my intent, nor do I believe that I was the cause of delay in reaching a decision regarding Globalstar’s original proposal. Moreover, it should be noted that I found a lot of merit in that request and did not foreclose the possibility of voting in favor of it under certain circumstances, until the new proposal was put forth." And Commissioner Ajit Pai, in a separate statement said that he opposed Globalstar's original proposal that would have "given [it] special rights to unlicensed spectrum in the 2.4 GHz band ... [departing] from our successful and long-standing policy of promoting innovative, shared access to these spectrum commons" but that the revised proposal eschews use of unlicensed spectrum while still giving the company more flexibility with its licensed spectrum.