Mid America Association of State Transportation officials (MAASTO) maintain the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should reverse its decision to convert a broadcast band devoted to transportation safety to Wi-Fi use.
MAASTO said the FCC proposal shifts 30 megahertz of the 75 megahertz reserved for Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) – enabling a different automotive communications technology called Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything, or C-V2X while shifting the other 45 megahertz to Wi-Fi use. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai indicated the panel would vote on Nov. 18 to finalize the plan.
“As connected and automated vehicles come on line, this broadcast spectrum will be vital to keep both motorists and pedestrians safe,” MAASTO president and Wisconsin Secretary of Transportation Craig Thompson said. “Industry is already developing technology that will use this band for safety applications. Diverting it to Wi-Fi won’t have much of an impact on Wi-Fi availability, but it may very well end up in unnecessary injury and death.”
Jack Marchbanks, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation and a member of the MAASTO board, said the Ohio Department of Transportation Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao’s position that the 5.9 GHz spectrum should continue to be preserved for transportation safety technology.
“In the Buckeye State, we are ready to deploy 5.9 GHz-linked CAV technology along a 35-mile stretch of US 33 which connects East Liberty, Ohio to Marysville, Ohio and Dublin, Ohio – for the express purpose of making our roadways safer for motorists and pedestrians,” he said. “If the utilization of the 5.9 GHz spectrum in transportation infrastructure can help save one life in Ohio or anywhere in the nation, it will be more than worth holding it from auction.”