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).

Related Content

  • February 2, 2012
    US IntelliDrive cooperative infrastructure programme
    The 'rebranding' of the US's Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration programme as IntelliDrive marks an effort to make the whole undertaking more accessible both in terms of nomenclature and technology. Shelley Row, director of the ITS Joint Program Office within USDOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, talks about the changes
  • July 18, 2017
    FCC unlocks new airwaves for vehicular radar use
    The US Federal Communications Commission has expanded the spectrum available for vehicular radars that are used for a variety of purposes, including safety applications like collision avoidance and adaptive cruise control. The agency’s action expands the current 76-77 GHz spectrum allocation to include the entire 76-81 GHz band and transitions radars out of the 24 GHz band. This is consistent with the spectrum that is available internationally, avoiding the need to customise the radars in vehicles for diffe
  • June 2, 2015
    Connected vehicle expertise on display at Econolite
    Econolite is actively involved in initiatives that are helping shape policy and standards, and is collaborating with leading technology partners – focusing on the connected vehicle promise of increased roadway safety, efficiency and sustainability. This commitment to the development and advancement of connected vehicle technologies and other leading-edge innovations is on display in a unique vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) display on the company’s booth. The company’s connected vehicle display feature
  • February 1, 2012
    Next Generation 911, updating the US 911 emergency system
    Continuing developments in telecommunications and public expectation have left the US's legacy, analogue 911 emergency call system trailing. Linda D. Dodge, Public Safety Program Manager for the ITS programme in USDOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, the sponsor of the Next Generation 911 initiative, writes about efforts towards updating