Reston, Va. – The head of Reston-based wireless broadband firm LightSquared has begun firing back following allegations from Republican lawmakers that the company has received special favors from the Obama administration. The Daily Beast first reported that the White House allegedly pressured Air Force Gen. William Shelton to change his testimony before Congress and downplay the potential effects of LightSquared’s satellite signals on the Global Positioning System (GPS).
“There was an attempt to influence the text of the testimony and to engage LightSquared in the process in order to bias his testimony,” Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) told The Daily Beast.
LightSquared, which is majority-owned by an investment fund headed by Democratic donor Philip Falcone, on Thursday night issued a statement refuting the allegations. “Any suggestion that LightSquared has run roughshod over the regulatory process is contradicted by the reality of eight long years spent gaining approvals,” wrote Sanjiv Ahuja, the company’s chairman and CEO. “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.”
This article was also published in Potomac Tech Wire.
Related Links:
Daily Beast – http://tinyurl.com/3svgvkq
LightSquared statement (PDF) – http://tinyurl.com/3dekp97
Photo by flickr user Matt Churchill, used under Creative Commons license
