Test Results Withheld From Public
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"Specifically
addressing the conducted testing that is underway at SPAWAR, we object to this
phase as it is also outside of the process defined by NTIA. This element of
Space Command's test program was developed by it alone, without LightSquared
even being provided a copy of this part of the test plan," the email
complained. The LightSquared executive offered to work cooperatively with
SPAWAR in the testing as had been described in the NTIA test plan.
Later,
after the testing was complete, LightSquared was apparently left hanging in the
dark. The company couldn't get a list of devices, test results or the key codes
necessary to tie a particular device to a particular test result, according to
one of LightSquared's emails: "Your process inexplicably contained a 14
day waiting period from the time a request was made for the device code key and
the time that it would be released under the terms of the non‐disclosure
agreements. This was further exacerbated by an unexplained delay on the part of
Air Force Space Command in notifying the GPS manufacturers of LightSquared's
request. Perhaps it was a coincidence that you finally provided formal notice
to the GPS industry on Dec. 11, making the expiration of the 14 day waiting
period Christmas day."
In
other words, LightSquared was being stonewalled by the Air Force. Since that
time, LightSquared has been provided the information it wants, but nobody else
can see it. This means that there's no way for outsiders (meaning all media outlets
including this one, third-party communications engineers or the general public)
to see if LightSquared's claims are right.
By
doing this, the government is once again making the whole GPS testing process
secret, despite the critical interest of the entire GPS community and millions
of consumers. Were the GPS tests rigged as LightSquared claims? Maybe they
were. This might explain the refusal of the government to make the testing and
the test results public. Right now, everyone who sees those results has to sign
a nondisclosure agreement, with severe penalties if they say anything. One
wonders just what SPAWAR is trying to hide.
eWEEK is already in the process of
filing Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain this information, which is
improperly being withheld. In the meantime, what we have learned from people
who were present for the testing is that the GPS devices being tested were
probably not the receivers used in your car, or by airplane pilots or first
responders. It seems, from what we've learned so far, that the Air Force
selected the devices most likely to fail the test.
While
LightSquared's data service plan has some significant challenges before the
service can be launched-challenges it may not be able to overcome-the fact is
that the process must be fair, and it must be transparent. Right now, this
unnecessary and perhaps illegal secrecy is anything but fair and
transparent.
Wayne Rash is a Senior Analyst for eWEEK Labs and runs the magazineÃÃÃs Washington Bureau. Prior to joining eWEEK as a Senior Writer on wireless technology, he was a Senior Contributing Editor and previously a Senior Analyst in the InfoWorld Test Center. He was also a reviewer for Federal Computer Week and Information Security Magazine. Previously, he ran the reviews and events departments at CMP's InternetWeek.He is a retired naval officer, a former principal at American Management Systems and a long-time columnist for Byte Magazine. He is a regular contributor to Plane & Pilot Magazine and The Washington Post.
