They say there are two things that are certain: death and taxes. Let’s add one more: The certainty that the government will take those taxes and do something inconceivably stupid with them.
We give you exhibit A.
The federal government is allowing a company called LightSquared to build a ultrafast broadband network.
Well, you say, an ultrafast broadband network sounds pretty cool. And it is. Except for one thing.
The broadcast frequency used by the LightSquared system just happens to be right next to the existing Global Positioning System band. Tests conducted by Garmin, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of consumer GPS products, indicate that the overwhelming power of the broadband network is likely to cause major problems for all existing GPS products.
Perhaps the folks at the FCC aren’t aware of this, but GPS is kind of a big deal. It’s used by millions of American to navigate around the country’s rapidly deteriorating highway system that our tax money should be spent repairing. And let’s not forget military, civilian aircraft and emergency users.
Here’s what’s at risk:
“The potential impact of GPS interference is so vast, it’s hard to get your head around,” said Jim Kirkland, vice president and general counsel of Trimble Navigation Ltd., which makes GPS systems. “Think 40,000 GPS dead spots covering millions of square miles in cities and towns throughout the U.S.”
Don’t worry, though. The federal government always has multi-billion dollar solutions for the problems it causes. In this case, LightSquared suggests that current GPS users retrofit their systems, adding filtering capabilities to counteract the interference they cause.
Unfortunately, no one knows who is going to pay to retrofit more than a billion current GPS systems. Certainly, LightSquared isn’t offering to pony up the money.
We have a sneaking suspicion that the people who end up paying for this – one way or another – will be those poor suckers known as the American taxpayers.
– Written by Sven Waring at DotPenn.com
Source: APF
