Posted on 03/13/2012 5:38:29 PM PDT by jazusamo
Former Bush administration solicitor general Ted Olson and Eugene Scalia, Justice Scalia's son, will represent LightSquared.
Wireless startup LightSquared has hired prominent conservative lawyers Ted Olson, a former U.S. solicitor general, and Eugene Scalia, a son of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, as it tries to save its multibillion-dollar plan to build a nationwide 4G wireless network, the company confirmed Tuesday.
Although the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted LightSquared a conditional waiver to move forward last year, the commission is now moving to block the company's network over concerns that it would interfere with GPS devices.
The hiring of two prominent litigators may indicate that LightSquared is preparing to challenge the FCC's decision in federal appeals court.
Olson successfully argued before the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore, the decision that ended the Florida recount and handed the presidency to George W. Bush. Olson, along with his Bush v. Gore opponent David Boies, is now leading the federal lawsuit to overturn California's Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage.
Eugene Scalia served as the top lawyer at the Labor Department and more recently represented Boeing in its legal battle with the National Labor Relations Board.
The hiring of two famous conservative lawyers is notable because some Republicans have accused the FCC and the White House of showing inappropriate favoritism to LightSquared before pulling its waiver.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has pledged to block President Obama's two FCC nominees until the agency releases internal documents on its review of the company.
The White House and the FCC have denied giving any special treatment to LightSquared, but expanding broadband access has been a top priority for both agencies.
Testing showed that LightSquared's signal does not bleed into the GPS band. Instead, the problem is that GPS receivers are too sensitive to filter out LightSquared's powerful cell towers operating on nearby frequencies.
LightSquared argues the GPS industry is responsible for building receivers that only listen to their own designated frequencies, but GPS companies argue that LightSquared is trying to build a cellphone network relying on frequencies that should only be used by satellites, which transmit much fainter signals.
The only Lawyers I have faith in work for Judicial Watch, time I increase my donations to them.
Ted Olsen has made the reverse flip from once-respected and respectable attorney to complete and total fungus.
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A-fricken-men, and there needs to be an investigation into who was paid off in the Administration to pursuade the FCC to initally approve LightSquared's use of this spectrum in a manner specifically forbidden by FCC rules.
That band was designated satellite-to-earth communications with terrestrial gap fillers, and LightSquared convinced the FCC that building out a network of very high powered earth stations was a "gap filler."
I don’t see any way LightSquared ends up winning this. Seems like they’re throwing good money after bad.
You’re absolutely right. Falcone was a very big contributor to Obama and Dems so the investigation needs to go no further than there. The old saying about flowing downhill was pretty accurate.
Unfortunately one can try to argue the laws of physics in court, but just try to enforce an injunction overturning Maxwell’s Equations.
You can have LightSquared, or you can have GPS. Take your pick.
Oh, and one more thing. rot in hell Atta, bin Laden, Kalid, and all the rest of the perps on 911.
May you all dance with the devil in the pale moon light for eternity.
5.56mm
Agreed...The FCC threw in the towell pretty quickly when the truth came out and AF Gen. Shelton spoke out. Falcone is beating a dead horse, IMHO.
AMEN!
5.56mm
Light squared can take their GPS jaming pile of crap and go to hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I guess LightSquared would be okay as long as THEY AGREE TO REPLACE EVERY FLIPPIN’ GPS DEVICE ON THE PLANET AND IN OUTER SPACE FREE OF CHARGE!
They wouldn’t bother GPS’s, if the GPS’s had resonant cavity filters on the antennas...but then they would need to have wheels on them to move them around!
That is a funny way to put the situation, but very few people understand how true it is.
.....May the Lord bless Barbara Olsen. RIP fine lady....................
Mike, totally agree!
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