ITS America Statement on FCC’s Temporary Opening of 5.9GHz Spectrum Band

"Today [March 27, 2020] the FCC announced it has granted temporary access to the 5.9 GHz ‘safety spectrum’ to wireless providers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Opening up the 5.9 GHz band will be challenging because numerous Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) safety applications are currently being used in this band. ITS America has repeatedly said it supports sharing the band with unlicensed devices such as Wi-fi, provided it can be done without interference that would jeopardize transportation safety.

In a time of crisis, however, it is critical to not make short-term decisions that could have unknown long-term consequences for life-saving technologies.

Earlier this month, initial comments were due on the FCC's proposal to give away 45MHz of the band – the portion it is now opening up – to unlicensed devices.  Of the more than 200 comments, roughly 150 were from organizations focused on the discussion of V2X technologies and unlicensed device issues. Of those comments, more than 85 percent opposed the FCC’s proposal and supported preserving the entire band for V2X technologies.

ITS America strongly urges the Commission make provisions for prioritizing public safety during this temporary period."