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 and the Automotive Safety Council (ASC) this week received the Collaborative Partnership of the Year Award from TU-Automotive during a virtual ceremony.

The award recognizes two or more companies that “have undertaken a meaningful, non-commercial partnership with the objective of advancing the development and/or adoption of automotive technology” for the period between Jan. 1, 2019 and Feb. 19, 2020.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner and ASC President Doug Campbell accepted the award on behalf of their respective associations.

Midyear Digital’s Opening General Session features a panel of national experts providing their “6:60:6 Predictions” for the roadway safety industry.

Panelists include Ken Simonson, chief economist, Associated General Contractors of America;  Jeff Davis, senior fellow and editor, Eno Transportation Weekly; and ​Hilary Cain, vice president, Technology, Innovation, and Mobility Policy, Alliance for Automotive Innovation.

Registration is now open for this fully virtual meeting.

Today, the Democratic leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released proposed legislation to reauthorize the federal transportation program through Fiscal Year 2025. The bill, Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act (INVEST in America Act), was introduced by Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chair Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Chair Dan Lipinski (D-IL).

The proposal authorizes federal transportation funding for five years, at a total of $494 billion, $319 billion of which will be for highway investments.

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.

The FCC voted unanimously today to allocate a portion of the 5.9 GHz band to a 45 MHz sub-band that supports unlicensed uses like WiFi. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and commissioners Michael O'Rielly, Brendan Carr, Jessica Rosenworcel, and Geoffrey Starks all were in favor of the redistribution during an open meeting at the group’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

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. 

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.
 

“Preparing Infrastructure for Automation Levels 1-3” will examine areas within roadway infrastructure that will be affected with the emergence of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs).

Rob Dingess, president of the Mercer Strategic Alliance, came to ATSSA headquarters to discuss automated and connected vehicle technology, and what it means for the association and the future of the roadway safety industry.