Analyst says key FCC staff excluded in LightSquared decision

Staff at the Federal Communications Commission told an equities analyst they weren't consulted about a crucial waiver that fast-tracked billionaire Philip Falcone’s satellite broadband venture LightSquared. If true, the situation could bring more scrutiny to the FCC, which has supported LightSquared’s mobile broadband ambitions even as the GPS industry has warned the network would interfere with key aviation, aerospace and other GPS technologies. Patrick Comack, senior telecom equities analyst at Zachary Investment Research, said that staff in the international bureau told him they did not see a waiver that was approved Jan. 26 by bureau chief Mindel de la Torre. The staff would typically work on such a waiver pertaining to satellite spectrum licenses.