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

  • October 17, 2019
    Solving Detroit’s jams: just ask a Michigan student
    At the Institute of Transportation Engineers annual meeting, a clever student plan to reduce commute times in Detroit suggests the future of the ITS industry is in good hands, write Pete Spiller and Jarrod Cady A team of students from the University of Michigan won a national student Transportation Technology Tournament - sponsored by the National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) and the US Department of Transportation - with a compelling presentation on reducing congestion. In an impressive d
  • September 19, 2022
    State DoTs discuss the big issues
    From sustainability to equity of access, from funding to Covid recovery: there are many issues facing transportation agencies today – and what better way of addressing them than getting some of the biggest names in US transportation into a room together? The State DOT Roundtable, today at 3pm to 4.30pm in Room 411, does exactly that.
  • May 15, 2025
    ITS World Congress 2025: registrations are open!
    Event takes place at the Georgia World Congress Center from 24-28 August
  • April 23, 2013
    Inrix expands analytics access
    Data technology company Inrix used the 23rd Annual ITS America Annual Meeting and Exposition to announce a partner program that expands access to the company’s analytics and historical traffic archive. Launch partners Transpo Group and Fehr & Peers, transportation planning and engineering services firms will leverage Inrix analytics and historical traffic data to help transportation agency customers conduct congestion management studies, inform system planning and better measure performance of their road ne