Preserve 5.9 GHz Band for Public Safety, Auto, Safety Groups Tell FCC

Auto industry officials said it's important to preserve the full 5.9 GHz band for vehicle-to-everything safety services, in meetings with aides to FCC members. Discussion covered “recent buildout activity, including major deployments in New York, Colorado, and Utah,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 13-49. They "discussed the growth of the safety spectrum application ecosystem, including applications like truck platooning; vulnerable roadworker/cyclist/pedestrian protection; vehicle sensor sharing; and leveraging V2X to support higher levels of vehicle autonomy.” Among those represented were the Association of Global Automakers, Intelligent Transportation Society of America, Toyota, Volvo, National Safety Council, Navistar, American Trucking Association and American Highway Users Alliance. Securing America’s Future Energy, concerned about U.S. reliance on foreign oil, urged flexibility. “Connectivity is critical to solve this pressing national security challenge,” the group said: “Increasingly, it is pivotal in the adoption of electric and autonomous vehicle technologies.”