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

  • May 26, 2016
    Xerox kicks off ITS America San Jose in high gear with Wheels & Things
    “Integrated Mobility. Transportation Redefined.” is the overall theme for ITS America 2016 San Jose, a new show representing this transformative moment in intelligent transportation. According to ITS America, the theme envisions our world tomorrow with integrated mobility systems turning our assumptions upside down, forcing us to reconsider the notions of how people travel and how goods ship.
  • May 17, 2012
    Toyota launches collaborative safety research centre in US
    Toyota is launching a new, advanced safety research centre that will collaborate with leading North American universities, hospitals, research institutions, federal agencies and other organisations on projects aimed at reducing the number of traffic fatalities and injuries on America's roads. Toyota's new Collaborative Safety Research Centre (CSRC) will be based at the Toyota Technical Centre (TTC) in Ann Arbor, Michigan and will involve Toyota researchers and engineers from North America and Japan. The com
  • May 26, 2016
    Winners of ITS America Hall of Fame Award announced at ITSA2016
    David St Amant and Robert E Skinner have been named as the ITS America Hall of Fame Award winners for 2016. Established to recognise members whose contributions to the profession and service to ITS America has been significant, substantial and long-standing, inductees are selected annually based on their position as a thought leader in the ITS field and a champion of the ITS vision. St Amant and Skinner will be inducted during the ITS America 2016 San José Board of Directors meeting on Sunday June 12.
  • March 18, 2015
    ATA coalition asks congress to reject devolution of highway program
    In a letter to Congress, the American Trucking Association (ATA) and a coalition of 37 other organisations has warned about the dangers of devolving the federal highway program and urged passage of a robust, long-term highway bill that secures the federal role in transportation. In the letter, ATA and its allies told Congress they strongly oppose devolution proposals such as the Transportation Empowerment Act (TEA), previously introduced and considered in the 113th Congress. They say TEA is an ill-conceive