UPDATE Two auto safety groups said they went to federal court to repeal an FCC decision to reallocate 60 percent of the 5.9 GHz band. The Intelligent Transportation Society of America and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, saying the agency decision puts the public at risk.
“Safety has always been our top priority,” said ITS America President/CEO Shailen Bhatt. “We are taking this action because V2X technologies continue to be our best available tool to significantly reduce crashes and save lives on American roadways.”
Inside Towers reported that numerous auto safety groups, plus the auto industry, opposed the move, saying manufacturers need the spectrum for testing. Major telecom, cable, content companies and WISPs praised the action.
The agency voted last November to move 30 MHz of the 75 MHz allocated for Dedicated Short-Range Communications to a different automotive communications technology called Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything, or C-V2X, while moving the other 45 megahertz to unlicensed WiFi. At the time, prior FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the Commission needed to make hard decisions to find more spectrum for wireless use and the 5.9 GHz band was under used. The FCC had no comment on the filing.
“Keeping people safe is the top priority for every state DOT,” said AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon. “We believe the FCC ruling has undermined state DOTs’ ability to utilize the 5.9GHz safety frequency as it was intended to be used.”
Reader Interactions