WASHINGTON — Gen. William Shelton, head of the US Air Force Space Command, told House members in a classified briefing earlier this month he was pressured to change prepared congressional testimony in a way that would favor a company funded by Philip Falcone, a major Democratic donor, FOX News reported Friday, citing congressional sources.
Republicans have raised questions about whether the project pursued by the company, LightSquared, is being unduly expedited by President Barack Obama’s administration, which has pushed for national wireless network upgrades.
The Virginia-based satellite and broadband communications company has plans to build a nationwide, next-generation, 4G phone network that many, including Shelton, think would seriously hinder the effectiveness of high-precision GPS receiver systems, a product used most commonly by the US military.
A source familiar with the technology said the LightSquared spectrum would be five billion times stronger than the military’s GPS system, rendering the military’s system almost useless.
“Imagine trying to have a telephone conversation while your neighbors are hosting a rock concert,” the source said. “That’s the situation the military is facing.”
Shelton, in testimony Thursday before a House Armed Services subcommittee, refused to suggest that interference problems could be mitigated, as he allegedly was being pressured to say.
Military training that relies on precision GPS, such as dropping ordnance, potentially could cease to exist in the US. Many farmers who rely on the systems for such things as farm planning, field and yield mapping and tractor guidance would also be affected. It is estimated this system is used by as many as one million people.
A House Armed Services Committee staff member confirmed to FOX News that when asked whether he was pressured to change public testimony he had prepared for the hearing Thursday, Shelton said he was “being asked to say things he didn’t agree with.”
It is unclear who exactly pressured Shelton, but it is possible the individuals are in the White House, Department of Defense or the Office of Management and Budget, which each approve military testimony prepared for Congress. The House staff member also said a copy of Shelton’s prepared testimony was leaked to LightSquared.
A spokeswoman for Shelton told The Washington Post there was no improper influence on the general’s testimony, and White House press secretary Jay Carney said Friday that the OMB “reviews testimony to make sure what is said is consistent with administration policy.”
“There was no attempt to influence the testimony beyond its consistency with the administration,” Carney said, adding, “Every administration witness has been clear about identifying the problems it could cause to the GPS system and said LightSquared should not be permitted to move forward unless the problems are resolved.”
The company also defended its work.
“We understand that some in the telecom sector fear the challenges for their business model that LightSquared presents. It’s also ludicrous to suggest LightSquared’s success depends on political connections. This is a private company that has never taken one dollar in taxpayer money,” CEO Sanjiv Ahuja said in a statement.
At the House subcommittee hearing Thursday, which focused on strategic forces and sustaining GPS for national security, Republican Chairman Michael Turner (R-Ohio) lashed out at the Obama administration for its acceptance of LightSquared proposals. He took aim at FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, a longtime basketball buddy of Obama, for not showing up at the hearing and for granting a waiver to LightSquared on Jan. 26.
“I trust Chairman Genachowski is doing something very important this morning if he couldn’t be here to discuss the significant harm to national security that may result from the FCC’s action,” Turner said.
To read more, go to Fox News.