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BoatUS does it again
This organization does some very good work as an advocate for boaters. Support hem, they are our friends and comrades.
"Exactly 15,009 recreational boaters showed up at Federal Communications Commission headquarters in Washington DC July 26 to tell the agency: “Don’t mess with GPS!” Well, all those boaters didn’t actually turn out in person, you understand, but in the form of eight large file boxes filled with their printed comments regarding an FCC ruling that could very well compromise the nation’s Global Positioning System (GPS). At issue is the agency’s conditional approval for a new nationwide broadband wireless telephone network, which, subsequent tests have shown, could cause significant interference with most GPS signals. That’s why BoatU.S. mounted a grassroots campaign that encouraged boaters to file official comments on the issue and offered to deliver their messages — quite literally — to FCC in their place. “Boaters expressed a wide variety of concerns about what interference with the GPS signal could mean in the areas where they use their boats but the overall message came through loud and clear: ‘Leave my GPS alone’,” reports BoatU.S. Vice President of Government Affairs, Margaret Podlich. Last January 26 FCC approved the proposal of a private company called LightSquared to use the radio frequency bandwidth adjacent to frequencies used by the relatively weak GPS signals for cell phone transmissions. That approval came subject to assurances the new service would not interfere with GPS signals and accuracy. A subsequent report to FCC released June 20, however, includes the statement that, “all phases of the LightSquared deployment plan will result in widespread harmful interference to GPS signals and service and that mitigation is not possible.” When FCC announced a public comment period on the report but for an unusually short 30 days, BoatU.S. undertook the grassroots alert campaign and subsequent in-person document delivery. Actually, Podlich said, three days after the initial delivery BoatU.S. physically delivered another 1,700-plus paper comments from boaters, on the Friday before the weekend deadline. But wait! On paper? This is 2011, after all, in the electronic era, so why couldn’t boaters file comments on-line? “We found the formal FCC electronic filing process to be very complex and not particularly user-friendly,” Podlich reports. “There wasn’t a single fixed form that boaters could fill out automatically so the simplest way — not the easiest, of course — was to take comments electronically ourselves, then print out and deliver the results. We had no idea what to expect but, obviously, this hit a nerve with boaters and if FCC is listening, now they know how critical it is to have a reliable navigation system, not just for boaters and anglers, of course, but for pilots, drivers, outdoor adventurers, and first responders. It is unimaginable that the federal government – the guardian of the bandwidth – would consider approving a proposal with so many problems and grave public safety consequences, she added.” BoatU.S. is a member of the Coalition to Save Our GPS, which is working to resolve this serious threat to the GPS system. http://www.boatus.com/gov/dontmesswithgps.asp |
Awesome!
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been a member since I bought my first boat at 22........1994. Membership is worth every penny and then some.
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Originally Posted by t500hps
(Post 3627237)
been a member since I bought my first boat at 22........1994. Membership is worth every penny and then some.
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Yep. I sent the FCC a note after being alerted by Boat US. They do great work and are probably our best watch dog for what we do. I just re-joined after being off between boats.
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Great GOOD NEWS story.
Refreshing to see something positive here. |
I'l bet that guy would like to have that hugh obama donation back
JUST JOINED BOAT US |
Originally Posted by Twin O/B Sonic
(Post 3627304)
Yep. I sent the FCC a note after being alerted by Boat US. They do great work and are probably our best watch dog for what we do. I just re-joined after being off between boats.
They're always doing something to help our recreation or sport! |
I was one of the 15,009. I have no idea how I boated without a chartplotter in the past!
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I've been a member for over 20 years. I enjoy the magazine and the unlimited fresh water towing (Great Lakes) is ridiculously cheap. And, yes, they are a great advocate for boater's rights.
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Boat-U.S. is an awesome organization. They are our #1 ally and resource as boaters and waterway consumers.
This is awesome news. I, too, an one of those signatures and have been a member for as long as I've been boating. Kudos to them. However, It's going to be an uphill battle with this kind of shadiness encircling the whole matter. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja abruptly announced his resignation Tuesday amid revelations of his company’s political proximity — and his own closeness — to the White House and Obama administration officials. The Daily Caller first reported one week ago on emails and documents that indicate political ties and numerous meetings between LightSquared and Obama administration officials as the company was undergoing regulatory review. Ahuja’s resignation comes after Obama’s FCC suspended conditional approval of a waiver LightSquared needed to complete its high-speed broadband network. Until two weeks ago, the company’s final approval appeared imminent. Ahuja, who had never donated to Democrats before and has not since, gave the maximum allowable $30,400 contribution to the Democratic National Committee on the same day his lawyers were trying to arrange a meeting for him at the White House with top Obama technology adviser Aneesh Chopra and other officials. In emails between Ahuja’s lawyers and White House officials Ahuja wanted to meet with, his lawyers pointed out that he would attend an Obama fundraiser on or about the same day he wanted the meeting. In a statement accompanying the company’s announcement of Ahuja’s resignation, he made no mention of those revelations. “During my tenure at LightSquared, we all worked tirelessly to create the nation’s first open wireless broadband network and provide consumers with a new wireless broadband experience,” Ahuja said. “That work continues and I wish the company and its fine management team well as they work to achieve this important goal.” LightSquared spokesman Terry Neal did not immediately respond to TheDC’s request for comment on the possible connections between Ahuja’s resignation and revelations published exclusively by TheDC. According to the release, Ahuja will remain LightSquared’s chairman. Philip Falcone, the CEO of Harbinger Capital Partners — which created LightSquared from its predecessor, SkyTerra — was appointed to the LightSquared board on Tuesday as well. The Obama administration FCC approved Harbinger’s purchase of SkyTerra after what appeared to be a series of favorable regulatory decisions amid White House visits. In the press release, Falcone said he remains confident in LightSquared’s future despite these new revelations and the company’s reported challenges related to GPS interference issues. “LightSquared’s objective, through its wholesale business model, is to provide increased competition and lower prices in the telecommunications industry, and to bring broadband cellular phone service to rural areas that currently don’t have such service and that has not and will not change,” Falcone said. “We are, furthermore, committed to working with the appropriate entities to find a solution to the recent regulatory issues. We, of course, agree that it is critical to ensure that national security, aviation and the GPS communities are protected.” http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/28/li...a-white-house/ |
It only gets worse when Phillip Falcone is involved. He's the shadiest character there is.
It all started in 2001. |
I just love reading about all the "Americans" in high level positions making such decisions. The Obamination will do whatever he can get away with to weaken and disrupt US preeminence while selling himself to the mass voter with promises of more giveaway programs paid for by taxpayers.
Imagine what those azzholes could sell GPS interference to our enemies for. |
Basically Light Squared bought a portion of a spectrum designated for low earth Satellite communication. They want to re-purpose that spectrum for earth based communications, which are much stronger than Satellite communication. The result of the stronger broadcast is that it interferes with its neighboring spectrum that GPS uses. They don't have much of a chance of winning this battle. The bought a spectrum on the cheap because its limited use and are now mad that it can't be used in a manner other than its original intent.
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I have been a member of BOAT US since March 1987. I used to have their insurance which was a good deal. My current boat and power do not qualify for their program.
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