DOT Says FCC Should Drop Plans for Major Changes to 5.9 GHz Band

reserved for cellular vehicle to everything (V2X) and possibly 10 MHz for dedicated short-range communications (see 1912180019). When the FCC will act is unclear (see 2003090059). “The preservation of the entire 5.9 GHz band for V2X communications offers the Nation an advantage for maintaining and extending leadership in the deployment of innovative V2X applications, including those related to automation,” DOT said in a filing in docket 19-138, posted Monday: “These safety innovations and improvements may be lost should the Commission proceed with its proposed reallocation of the 5.9 GHz band.” The issues are complicated, DOT said. The department “remains of the view that the Commission's proposal fails to account for all relevant factors bearing upon its proposal, including V2X spectrum benefits, technology maturity, innovation and growth in V2X applications, and the likelihood of harmful interference from adjacent-channel Wi-Fi operations.” The FCC also never “addressed the concerns that US DOT previously raised about the NPRM before it was issued,” the filling said. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety said the entire band should be reserved for safety to curb deaths and injuries on U.S. roads. “Repurposing a section of the band reserved for vehicle safety communications to permit unlicensed operations presents substantial safety concerns,” the group said in a filing posted Tuesday: “The messages transmitted on the band for connected vehicle technologies must be secure, timely and accurate in order to save lives. If these messages were infected or altered by hackers and vehicles performed unintended maneuvers, the results could be catastrophic.”