LightSquared: GPS fix will cost industry $400M...GPS users can pay $300-$800 to buy a filter from LightSquared

Hmmmm..... I wonder how excited I'd be to pay $800 to a company for a device to filter out distortion that same company was causing in the first place? Why is it that I have an image of Tony Soprano immediately coming to mind?

Why in the hell would I buy something from some one who screwed up the system because they developed something that caused the problem? Get real thell light screwed up to stick it.

This is just plain WRONG. If this LightSquared thing messes up aircraft GPS units, what about GPS's on boats, in cars and trains.
This just is NOT right

The point is not anything other than who allowed this to happen and why they should not be allowed to go on line either shut it down now. Ever who was in charge at the FCC should go also along with others who approved it as what else can they screw up that could kill people?? And then to charge for fixing there problem??Get real.

Of course their CMO would be the one to come up with a plan to *sell* these filters to people (and probably make a profit). It would make more sense that they be required to give the filters away, or pay for a replacement GPS that isn't affected.

I'm not much of a techno-geek, but if the problem comes from GPS systems bleeding over into part of the RF spectrum that LightSquared owns (as it states in this article), then I'm not so sure? I DO KNOW that END USERS (me and you) of GPS equipment sure as HELL shouldn't have to pay for any "filters" or whatever it takes to solve the problem. I agree that the GPS network is FAR too important to risk just so IPad yuppies can watch "Dancing With The Stars" on their lunchbreaks and such (I know....that was a cheap shot), but the two industries need to figure out a solution that doesn't cost consumers who have ALREADY purchased equipment.

My first call will be to garmin.

Since GPS is a Department of Defense (DOD) system, I wonder what the military thinks. Many weapon systems now days use GPS for navigating. Not just aircraft (example - missiles, bombs, UAVs,targeting systems, etc.). The International Space Station (ISS) uses it for its navigation and position tracking (I worked on this some a few years ago). The DOD would have the clout to make LightSquare look at there product.

I am not a lawyer, but I suspect that they would have less wiggle room defending against a GPS related crash if the aircraft was using their correcting hardware to correct against the GPS disruption they caused.

Meanwhile, the FCC continues to allow LightSquared to perform tests that disrupt GPS navigation over a HUGE section of busy airspace in the SouthWest part of the country. The NOTAMs on this are scary. This is outrageous.