The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously today to reallocate more than half of the 5.9GHz spectrum band—known as the “safety spectrum”—to unlicensed uses including WiFi.

The new rules adopted today make the lower 45 megahertz of the spectrum available for unlicensed uses. They require Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) licensees to stop using this portion of the spectrum within a year.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner called the action "a major blow to the roadway safety community and public safety in general."

ATSSA Vice President of Government Relations Nate Smith noted that congressional races didn’t go as expected in this month’s election, with Republicans picking up seats while the Democrats could lose up to a dozen when final results are tabulated.

Smith also predicted who will be the next Transportation Secretary if Vice President Joe Biden wins when results of the presidential race are final. Smith laid out six contenders for the cabinet position.

Smith shared his observations and insights during a nearly 1-hour Town Hall this afternoon about the election and its impact.

Join ATSSA Vice President of Government Relations Nate Smith on Tuesday for a Town Hall addressing the impact of the state and federal elections on roadway safety.

Smith will discuss how the Nov. 3 election results will influence roadway safety policies and priorities in 2021 and for years to come, including the question of how our nation continues to respond to COVID-19.

Register now for this online event held Tuesday at 1 p.m. EST.

For anyone challenged to provide their children with meaningful activity amid pandemic concerns, The ATSS Foundation has a great option.

It’s offering a 32-page child’s guide for staying safe in roadway construction zones. The activity book is geared for ages 5-8 and includes 26 safety tips – one for each letter of the alphabet.

It offers a fun way to learn the ABCs of work zone safety with lessons like, “B is for Be prepared to STOP.”

ATSSA is offering a special registration rate for public agency officials to attend its 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo, which will be held over two weeks in February.

The special rate of $49 gives public agency officials access to all aspects of this fully virtual event that runs from Feb. 8-12 and 16-18. Registration includes all education breakouts, general sessions, technical committee meetings, networking events, the Circle of Innovation, and Traffic Expo.

ATSSA’s Annual Convention & Traffic Expo is the premier roadway safety event in North America. It is where industry professionals gather to make vital connections.

Think you’ve got the goods to wow the judges at the New Products Rollout? Here’s your chance.

Applications are now open for members wanting to enter their innovations in the New Products Rollout at the 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo. Products released after Jan. 1, 2020 to qualify. All new innovations will be accepted for the New Product Listing, but only 12 will be accepted for presentation to a panel of judges. The top three products will earn an Innovation Award that will be announced during the Convention, which will be held virtually in Feb 8-12 and 16-18.

“The New Products Rollout offers members the opportunity to get their creative ideas to roadway safety issues in front of thousands of people who take part in ATSSA’s Convention & Traffic Expo,” said ATSSA Director of Innovation & Technical Services Eric Perry. “The exposure provided by this event is unparalleled.”

As ballots continue to be counted across the country, a number of tightly contested congressional races that the ATSSA Government Relations Team has been tracking, have been declared winners.

Among them was House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D) fended off a challenge from political newcomer Alex Skarlatos to win Oregon’s 4^th District.

Transportation-related statewide ballot initiatives that ATSSA is tracking passed in four states.

ATSSA’s Government Relations Team is monitoring the 2020 election results and will be reporting on key races important to transportation and infrastructure when they are available. As we all know, this is an election like no other and the timing of the results is unpredictable but know that our team is on it.

Once results are clear, we’ll post them here along with GR Team analysis and insights.

Workplace Giving programs provide a way for companies and their teams to enjoy the satisfaction of helping support people impacted by roadway work zone tragedies.

Participants can experience the joy of seeing a student pursue career goals thanks to a college scholarship, help a child work toward healing after the loss of a parent in a work zone incident through an Experience Camp, feel the gratification of knowing children are being taught about work zone safety through the use of activity books, and know the grave risks of roadway work zones are being communicated through the National Work Zone Memorial.

Those are just some of the ways The ATSS Foundation carries out its mission of promoting roadway safety through charitable giving and public awareness.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is scheduled for a final vote Nov. 18 on reallocating a portion of the 5.9 GHz spectrum band, commonly known as the safety spectrum, for Wi-Fi.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai proposed sharing the spectrum a year ago and this week reiterated his support for the idea saying that “making more spectrum available for Wi-Fi is critical to meeting America’s growing connectivity need,” Reuters reported.

As reported here, from the outset, ATSSA and others including the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) and the Department of Defense opposed the idea for safety and security reasons.