A question now looms over the future of the 5.9 GHz band and whether it could be opened up for other uses — like WiFi.
The Trump administration may be backing away from an Obama-era draft rule mandating dedicated short-range communications in new cars, reported the Associated Press. The point is for such cars to send data about crashes, road hazards and weather conditions, for example — to other vehicles.
However, the US Department of Transportation said last week, that it and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration haven’t made any final decision on the proposed rulemaking concerning a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) mandate. “Any reports to the contrary are mistaken” said DOT in a statement. V2V is a “significant” part of the plan to use the dedicated spectrum for transportation lifesaving technologies and the federal government is still reviewing more than 460 public comments, reported The Verge.
Industry sources told the AP, the rule has been put on the back-burner because the administration is reluctant to impose costly mandates on the auto industry.
The 5.9 GHz spectrum band was dedicated to V2V, and other industries, including wireless, want it. FCC Commissioners Michael O’Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel heeded those calls. O’Rielly tweeted it’s, “Time for @FCC to reallocate – include unlicensed services in 5.9 GHz,” while Rosenworcel wrote “it’s time for the agency to look again” at the spectrum.
November 6, 2017
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