E
Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflicts of Interest

The conflict of interest policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi) prohibits the appointment of an individual to a committee authoring a Consensus Study Report if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the task to be performed. An exception to this prohibition is permitted if the National Academies determine that the conflict is unavoidable and the conflict is publicly disclosed. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual’s actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.

Mark L. Psiaki has a conflict of interest in relation to his service on the Committee to Review FCC Order 20-48 Authorizing Operation of a Terrestrial Radio Network Near the GPS Frequency Bands because he consults for and receives research support from NAL Research Corporation, which designs and manufactures communications systems that use the satellite network owned and operated by Iridium Communications, Inc. The National Academies have concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, its membership must include at least one expert who possesses substantial current expertise in Global Positioning System (GPS)/global navigation satellite systems signals processing, radionavigation, and mobile satellite services. As described in his biographical summary, Dr. Psiaki has extensive practical experience in mobile satellite services (MSS) and radionavigation and GPS and global navigation satellite system signal processing, including his current advisory work on MSS device solutions at NAL Research Corporation. The National Academies have determined that the experience and expertise of Dr. Psiaki is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another

available individual with the equivalent experience and expertise who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies have concluded that the conflict is unavoidable. The National Academies believe that Dr. Psiaki can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.

Nambirajan Seshadri has a conflict of interest in relation to his service on the Committee to Review FCC Order 20-48 Authorizing Operation of a Terrestrial Radio Network Near the GPS Frequency Bands because of his ownership of stock in Verizon Communications. The National Academies have concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, its membership must include at least one expert who possesses substantial recent experience in the engineering of cellular phones and portable GPS devices. As described in his biographical summary, Dr. Seshadri has extensive recent experience in research and engineering leadership positions at several communications technology firms, where he led practical implementation of both cellular and GPS services in chipsets and handheld devices. The National Academies have determined that the experience and expertise of Dr. Seshadri is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent experience and expertise who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies have concluded that the conflict is unavoidable. The National Academies believe that Dr. Seshadri can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.