LightSquared, the troubled satellite-wireless company whose attempt to bring wholesale broadband to the United States has been stymied by technical trouble, placed national ads Monday seeking public support.
The ad takes the form of a letter signed by CEO Sanjiv Ahuja, who says the company will bring 75,000 jobs to the U.S. if its network gets approved.
"LightSquared’s commitment to infuse $14 billion of private investment—without any government funding—into America’s infrastructure will bring 75,000 jobs over the next five years, competition, and innovation to the U.S. wireless industry, with affordable prices and better service for Americans everywhere," he says in the letter.
Tests have shown that signals on some of the frequencies used by LightSquared interfere with some GPS devices. LightSquared says it has a fix but GPS experts dispute this and the Federal Communications Commission says it won't let the company go live with its network until the issues are sorted out.
The issue got the attention of GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., who has accused the Obama administration of helping the company get started despite the interference issues.
LightSquared, formerly SkyTerra, has been working on its network for more than eight years but some Republican members of Congress say they want to investigate the company's ties to the Obama administration.
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