ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner sent letters to Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao this week strongly endorsing the Alliance for Automotive Innovation’s letter committing to fully utilize the bands of spectrum allocated for transportation safety.

“The commitment undertaken by the Auto Innovators reflects a watershed moment for roadway safety. This letter demonstrates a unified industry committing substantial resources and support for Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X). This approach should dispel any notion that the industry will not deploy V2X or that the Safety Spectrum will not be used,” Tetschner wrote.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Engineering and Technology granted a 21-day extension of the deadline for submitting replies to comments regarding a proposed rule change regarding the 5.9 GHz band, also commonly referred to as the "safety spectrum."

The new deadline of April 27 resulted from the extensive comments submitted and disruptions caused by COVID-19.

ATSSA is "steadfastly opposed" to the Federal Communication Commission's plan to reallocate a portion of the 5.9 GHz band of spectrum to other uses out of concerns for "safety and security," President & CEO Roger Wentz said in a statement filed this week with the Federal Register.

People have until March 9 to submit comments and until April 6 to post replies to the proposal, first announced by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai at a Nov. 20 meeting with Citizens Against Government Waste, New America’s Open Technology Institute, and WifiForward.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (Jan. 27, 2020) – The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), in partnership with the National Academy of Sciences’ Transportation Research Board (TRB), honored the winners of the Traffic Control Device Challenge (TCD Challenge) today during a ceremony at the Association’s 50^th Anniversary Convention & Traffic Expo. Engineering students from across the U.S. competed in the TCD Challenge, which was titled: “Connected and Autonomous Innovations for Improving Work Zone Safety.”

Work continues on incorporating traffic signals into the Association’s activities to advance roadway safety. In 2019, ATSSA formed a Traffic Signals Committee and new membership category during its Midyear Meeting to ensure that the Association is representing all sectors of the roadway safety infrastructure industry and areas related to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). It also will allow ATSSA to move forward with new partnerships with traffic signal installers and manufacturers.

The Department of Defense (DOD),  the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), and ATSSA oppose a new 5.9 Gigahertz (GHz) band proposal recently made by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai.

Earlier this month, ATSSA President & CEO Roger Wentz submitted a letter to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, urging legislators to include infrastructure policies as they draft bills related to Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs). 

In recent years, there has been an uptick in collaboration between entities within the roadway safety infrastructure and automotive industries as Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) technologies progress and enter U.S. roadways. In a sweeping effort to ensure traffic control devices and roadway infrastructure effectively support the Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) of CAVs, manufacturers and groups like the Automotive Safety Council, 3M, SAE International, and ATSSA are working together to uncover the gaps in information and needs to help these vehicles perform at an optimum level. 

On June 19, 2019 at the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD) Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) Task Force Meeting, updates on signage and pavement marking uniformity were the main topics of discussion. With CAVs entering U.S. roadways every day, the need for uniformity is growing exponentially. Transformational technologies on CAVs raise new questions for groups like the NCUTCD, such as signage that appears on the exterior of CAVs. For instance, many autonomous vehicles (AVs) manufacturers have their own signage displays on the exterior of the vehicle that alert human drivers and pedestrians of the CAV’s intentions on the roadway.

Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) rely heavily on ATSSA member products such as pavement markings, signs, and traffic control devices. These products will be an essential factor in the advancement of CAVs and critical in moving toward zero deaths on our roadways.