Lightsquared's Latest Maneuver: Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

We've been covering the Lightsquared vs. GPS story since it broke in early 2011 when the FCC granted the company permission to begin testing its 4G LTE wireless internet service on a bandwidth precariously close to GPS. The threat to GPS integrity unleashed a torrent of objections from the GPS industry, as well as companies and governmental agencies that rely on GPS, against the Lightsquared system moving forward.

After government agency testing determined that the interference was real and that there would be no easy, ironclad way around, FCC withdrew Lightsquared's license, and things have been headed south for the company ever since. This week came word that the company has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an effort to protect its remaining cash from creditors while it continues its fight to stay alive.

There are some terrific stories and analysis pieces on the web to check out. Here is one from PC World outlining the state of things and how difficult it would be for Lightsquared to recover. There's also a good overview from Bloomberg here.

It's certainly not over, as surely as the government's drive to bringing high speed internet to rural America is still strong. But it seems certain that nothing will be allowed to move forward that endangers the integrity of GPS along the way.