Majority of FCC backs Ligado plan for broadband network

A majority of the five-member Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to approve an order to allow Ligado Networks’ to deploy a low-power nationwide 5G network despite objections from the Defense Department and major U.S. airlines, a source told Reuters.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday circulated a draft order to allow Ligado to use L-Band spectrum, for which it holds some licenses, which came under criticism from some federal agencies and powerful lawmakers.

The L-Band is also used for Global Positioning System (GPS) and other navigation systems because the signals can penetrate cloud cover. The Pentagon also uses the band for military purposes. Bloomberg News reported the vote earlier.

―Reuters