Skip to main content

Don’t miss the Special Session on Wi-Fi Expansion and the Future of Connected Vehicles!

As part of an effort by policymakers to make better use of the nation’s airwaves, Congress last year directed the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) to examine the potential for spectrum sharing in the 5.4 GHz and 5.9 GHz bands, the latter of which was set aside by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1999 for the development of connected vehicle technology. On January 25, the NTIA issued an initial report expressing concern about the potential interference risks asso
April 16, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Paul Feenstra will moderate a key session that will explore the feasibility of spectrum sharing in the 5.9 GHz band.
As part of an effort by policymakers to make better use of the nation’s airwaves, Congress last year directed the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) to examine the potential for spectrum sharing in the 5.4 GHz and 5.9 GHz bands, the latter of which was set aside by the 2115 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1999 for the development of connected vehicle technology.

On January 25, the NTIA issued an initial report expressing concern about the potential interference risks associated with allowing a substantial number of new, unlicensed devices to operate in the 5.9 GHz band, and proposing a technical evaluation process to determine whether and how the multiple risk factors could be mitigated.

On April 10, the FCC proceeded to publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking to open up the 5.4 and 5.9 GHz bands to unlicensed devices. ITS America and other connected vehicle stakeholders will be submitting comments to the FCC raising their concerns with the proposal (which have been expressed previously in an ITS America-led coalition letter to the FCC Chairman).

Attendees to the ITS America Annual Meeting & Exposition who would like to learn more are encouraged to attend a special session from 8:00 – 9:15am on Wednesday, April 24 in Ryman Studio O of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center titled “Wi-Fi Expansion and the Future of Connected Vehicle”.

The session will explore the feasibility of spectrum sharing in the 5.9 GHz band, focusing on the risk factors, potential benefits, and possible technical solutions; as well as next steps for working with the FCC, NTIA, US DOT and stakeholder community to figure out if there is a win-win scenario that would protect the connected vehicle program while allowing for expanded Wi-Fi services. The session, moderated by ITS America’s Paul Feenstra, Senior Vice President for Government and External Affairs, will feature presentations by Charles Glass of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) who will discuss the initial results of NTIA’s study on the potential for spectrum sharing in the 5.9 GHz band; Tom Schaffnit, President of the VII Consortium; Mary Brown, Director of Government Affairs at Cisco; and John Maddox, Director of Collaborative Program Strategies at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI).

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Webinar: Automation at ITS European Congress
    June 16, 2014
    A webinar organised by Ertico-ITS Europe at 1600 on 20 June will provide an overview of the main topics on Automation discussed during the ITS European Congress, highlighting the main outcomes of different initiatives organised during the Congress. The speakers, Dr Maxime Flament of Ertico-ITS Europe and Dr Lytrivis Panagiotis of ICCS, will share their views and provide feedback on events at the Congress. They will also debate the current progress in different areas relating to successful and sustainable
  • Testimonials from initial C-V2X deployers in the US
    April 11, 2023
    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that nearly 32,000 people have died in traffic crashes so far in 2022. They’ve also stated that vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) safety applications have the potential to eliminate or mitigate the severity of up to 80% of these crashes.
  • ITS America Announces 2014 Best of ITS Awards Finalists
    August 26, 2014
    ITS America has announced the list of finalists for the 2014 Best of ITS Awards, the highly competitive program which recognises the most innovative projects and influential achievements in the high-tech transportation community. Finalists will be recognised, and the winners announced, during the ITS America Awards Breakfast session at the 21st World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, Tuesday, September 9, 2014 from 7:30 to 8:30am at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. The Best of ITS Awards rec
  • The downside of driverless vehicles
    October 27, 2016
    Driverless cars will have a detrimental effect on congestion and security while the road safety benefits can be achieved sooner and cheaper using ADAS, argues Colin Sowman. Many Governments are consulting about the introduction of driverless vehicles and even running trials. As 70% or 80% of crashes are caused by human error, the promise of a crash-free future of driverless, self-driving or autonomous vehicles (call them what you will) is alluring, as are the claims of reduced congestion and lower emissions