Skip to main content

ITS America responds to FCC NPRM for spectrum sharing

Following the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking to open up additional spectrum for unlicenced wi-fi devices within the 5.9 GHz band which serves as the platform for connected vehicle technology, Scott Belcher, President and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), issued the following statement today: “ITS America supports the need to explore spectrum sharing in the 5 GHz band and appreciates the chairman’s commitment to a pr
February 21, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Following the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking to open up additional spectrum for unlicenced wi-fi devices within the 5.9 GHz band which serves as the platform for connected vehicle technology, Scott Belcher, President and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (560 ITS America), issued the following statement today:

“ITS America supports the need to explore spectrum sharing in the 5 GHz band and appreciates the chairman’s commitment to a process of consultation with the stakeholder community that will protect the integrity of connected vehicle technology. We also recognize the desire of the Commission to move forward expeditiously, while cautioning against putting near-term life-saving innovations like connected vehicle technology at risk in the pursuit of future wi-fi applications.”

ITS America was recently joined by other transportation stakeholders in raising concerns about the Commission’s 5.9 GHz proposal.  The letter, which is online here, is signed by groups ranging from 4939 AAA, the 2094 Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the 4946 Association of Global Automakers, 4944 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, American Public Transportation Association, and Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to numerous private companies and state and local DOT officials from Michigan, California, Florida, Texas, New York, Arizona and Washington State.

“We look forward to working with the Commission, the NTIA, US DOT, and other government and non-government stakeholders to evaluate whether and how unlicensed devices could operate safely in the band without interfering with new vehicle crash avoidance systems which depend on secure, reliable, real-time communication between vehicles.”

Related Content

  • Bringing V2I and V2V communications to workzone safety
    January 26, 2012
    Imran Hayee of the University of Minnesota Duluth's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering talks about efforts to bring V2I and V2V communications into work zones. With USDOT backing and under the auspices of the ITS Joint Program Office Connected Vehicle Research (formerly IntelliDrive) research programme, M. Imran Hayee of the University of Minnesota Duluth's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering along with team of his students, have been conducting research into the application of
  • Deaths of US pedestrians rise sharply, says GHSA report
    April 2, 2019
    Pedestrian deaths across the US have risen to their highest number in nearly 30 years. Many factors are responsible - including the rise and rise of SUVs - according to a worrying new GHSA report ore pedestrians died on US roads last year than in any year since 1990. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) suggests that 6,227 pedestrians were killed in 2018 – a 4% increase on 2017. Pedestrian deaths as a percentage of total motor vehicle crash deaths increased from 12% in 2008 to 16% in 2017, whi
  • Michigan moves to test self-driving cars without driver
    September 9, 2016
    Michigan would no longer require a driver to be inside a self-driving car while testing it on public roads, according to Associated Press. The legislation was passed unanimously this week by the state Senate, where backers touted the measures as necessary to keep the US auto industry's home state ahead of the curve on rapidly advancing technology.
  • US updates ITS strategy for Connected Vehicle deployment
    March 16, 2015
    Jon Masters looks at the USDOT’s new ITS Strategic Plan for the next five years. Emphasis and direction for the next five years of Government led ITS research in the United States has been framed within a new ITS Strategic Plan. The US Department for Transportation’s (USDOT) ITS Joint Program Office (JPO) published the report at the tail end of 2014 after concluding a two-year ITS industry consultation process. The Plan identifies a vision to transform the way society moves and the ITS JPO’s aim of advancin