Automobile Manufacturers Urge FCC 'Certainty' in 5.9 GHz Band

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers urged the FCC to move quickly to give companies “certainty” in deploying dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) and other vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies in the 5.9 GHz band. Chairman Ajit Pai was ready to circulate an NPRM on the band for the June FCC meeting but postponed seeking a vote after the Transportation Department asked for a delay (see 1905150053). “A critical assumption in the U.S. DOT’s and industry’s development of DSRC-based technologies and applications was that spectrum sharing of the 5.9 GHz band with unlicensed users was not intended, and regulatory certainty would be provided by the FCC to allow a decade of research, testing, product development and deployment of safety-critical technology to mature and progress,” the alliance said Wednesday in docket 13-49: “Unfortunately, this assumption has not held true, as repeated spectrum sharing proposals by the FCC have induced ongoing uncertainty.” Meanwhile, 17 free-market oriented groups urged the FCC to tackle the band. "The time for action is now,” the groups said. “This valuable spectrum has lain fallow for 20 years, at great expense to the country. The commission should open this inquiry and ensure the spectrum is put to use expeditiously.” Citizens Against Government Waste, the Lincoln Network, American Legislative Exchange Council, Innovation Economy Institute, Tech Freedom, Institute for Liberty, American Conservative Union and Discovery Institute were among signers.