ITS America, AASHTO Take Legal Action To Retain 5.9 GHz Band For V2X Technologies

By AASHTO

WASHINGTON – The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) today filed an appeal of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) November 2020 order regarding unlicensed devices in the 5.9 GHz spectrum band. ITS America and AASHTO took this action to ensure Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technologies can continue to safely operate throughout the 5.9 GHz band.

The lawsuit, filed in the D.C. Circuit Court, seeks to reverse the Commission’s reallocation of 60 percent of the 5.9 GHz band to unlicensed, non-transportation uses, and preserve the full 75 MHz for transportation communications.

“Safety has always been our top priority,” said Shailen Bhatt, President & CEO of ITS America. “We are taking this action because V2X technologies continue to be our best available tool to significantly reduce crashes and save lives on American roadways.”

“Keeping people safe is the top priority for every state DOT,” said Jim Tymon, AASHTO executive director, “We believe the FCC ruling has undermined state DOTs’ ability to utilize the 5.9GHz safety frequency as it was intended to be used.” 

Read the 5.9 GHz Notice of Appeal and 5.9 GHz Petition for Review.