The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) recently testified in the D.C. Circuit Court about preserving the entire 5.9 GHz spectrum band for transportation communications.
The organizations contend doing so is critical to reducing accidents and improving road safety.
“AASHTO and a broad cross-section of transportation safety experts and stakeholders have steadfastly objected to retaining anything less than the current 75 MHz of bandwidth for transportation,” Jim Tymon, AASHTO executive director, said. “State departments of transportation are heavily vested in the development and deployment of connected and automated vehicles that have tremendous potential in significantly improving safety, mobility, and accessibility for all people.”
“The loss of life is devastating, particularly given recent trends – roadway fatalities increased eight percent in 2020 (over 2019) and by another 18 percent in the first half of 2021,” Laura Chace, ITS America president and CEO, said. “Connected vehicle technology is our best tool to make roads safer and save lives, and we can’t leave it on the sidelines.”
The organizations filed an appeal on June 2 of a Federal Communications Commission’s order, seeking to reverse the reallocation of 60 percent of the 5.9 GHz band to unlicensed, non-transportation uses.