LightSquared’s foes assemble lobbying force over GPS issue

With the showdown heating up between Reston-based wireless broadband firm LightSquared and a broad coalition of players in the global positioning system industry, both sides are lining up lobbyists to sway lawmakers. At issue is LightSquared’s effort to expand its mobile broadband network — a move opposed by the GPS industry led by the Coalition to Save Our GPS, a group co-founded by Trimble Nagivation that represents 78 technology companies, airlines and transportation associations. The opponents say LightSquared would disrupt GPS signals to millions of receivers. This month, LightSquared hired four new firms to lobby on its behalf. Trimble, Garmin and John Deere (registered as Deere & Company, which uses GPS in agriculture and construction equipment) are pouring resources into their own army of lobbyists. Since January, Trimble has spent $840,000 in lobbying fees related to the LightSquared spectrum issue — including nearly $330,000 in the third quarter alone — according to records filed with the Senate. Most of Trimble’s lobbying on spectrum interference is through one of K Street’s leading firms, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, to whom Trimble has shelled out $620,000 this year. Garmin has retained Dow Lohnes, paying the firm $70,000 since March on GPS interference issues; John Deere has spent $964,000 on in-house lobbyists. The Coalition to Save Our GPS, Trimble, John Deere and Garmin did not return requests for comment.