Committee Announces Hearing on DOD Spectrum Policy

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today announced the committee will hold a hearing to receive testimony on Department of Defense spectrum policy and the impact of the Federal Communications Commission’s approval of Ligado’s spectrum proposal on national security.

The hearing will be held Wednesday, May 6, at 3 p.m. in Room SD-G50 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Witnesses include: Dana Deasy, DOD Chief Information Officer; Michael Griffin, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; Admiral Thad Allen, USCG (ret.); General John Raymond, Chief of Space Operations and Commander, U.S. Space Command.

“The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding this hearing to review the national security impacts of the FCC’s order on the Ligado proposal as it relates to our committee’s jurisdiction,” Inhofe said. “Both publicly and privately, the Department of Defense has expressed serious concerns about the risks Ligado’s planned usage poses both to military equipment and ancillary equipment used by the military, industry and everyday Americans as well. Given that the FCC has made its decision, it’s critical our members understand the national security implications and what steps the military will need to take to mitigate these effects if the decision is not reversed.”

Click here for details about the hearing, including livestream information.