When Bradford Parkinson wrote to the FCC in August, urging the commission to scuttle LightSquared?s plans for a nationwide wireless network, he signed off as vice chairman of a board of independent experts that advises federal agencies on GPS-related matters.
Here?s what he didn?t mention: Parkinson is heavily invested ? to the tune of millions of dollars ? in Trimble, a GPS company at the center of an all-out lobbying blitz against LightSquared in Congress and federal agencies, including the FCC.
Continue ReadingNow LightSquared is crying foul, arguing that Washington is getting a skewed view of its business endeavor from the oft-cited Stanford professor and his colleagues on the federal advisory board.
?Parkinson appears merely to have been fulfilling his fiduciary responsibility as a Trimble board member to use his reputation and credibility ? and that of the federal advisory board on which he serves ? to protect his company and its stock owners,? said Terry Neal, a spokesman for LightSquared.
In an interview with POLITICO, Parkinson flatly rejected any suggestion of a conflict between his position on the panel ? formally named the National Space-Based Positioning Navigation & Timing Advisory Board ? and his role at Trimble. He said his advice in the debate has been based on what?s best for the country.
?I have no conflict of interest,? Parkinson said. ?My guess is that Trimble will actually end up with more business? if LightSquared enters the market.
?It?s well known that I?m on the board of Trimble,? Parkinson said, adding that ?everyone of significance is certainly aware of it.?
But a telecom analyst who has followed the LightSquared debate closely said he was unaware of Parkinson?s financial ties to Trimble ? and argued that they deserve wider airing.
?Dr. Parkinson has an exceptionally distinguished record and is clearly being listened to by important government players in this debate, but it?s not clear to me that everyone is aware of his direct involvement in Trimble through his board seat on the company,? said Paul Gallant of MF Global Holdings. ?His Trimble job doesn?t necessarily discredit his science, but government officials always want to know when advocates have a personal financial stake in the outcome.?
The GPS industry is engaged in a pitched battle against LightSquared, arguing that the band of wireless spectrum that the firm intends to use would interfere with GPS devices that rely on an adjacent band. LightSquared calls the charge overblown, at best, saying any interference issues can be resolved. It?s just a matter of who pays for the fixes.
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