Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Cory Booker, D-N.J.,...

the 5850-5925 GHz spectrum for unlicensed use, a Rubio news release said Friday (http://1.usa.gov/1pmiB4p). The FCC would have to “conduct testing that would provide more spectrum to the public and ultimately put the resource to better use, while recognizing the future needs and important work being done in intelligent transportation,” Rubio said. The legislation also “authorizes an important study of Wi-Fi deployment in low income communities and the barriers preventing deployment of wireless broadband in those neighborhoods,” Booker said. CEA, the Computer & Communications Industry Association and CTIA back the legislation, they said Friday. The bill “will serve as clear action plan to properly allocate a finite and increasingly necessary public resource,” said NCTA Director-Digital Strategy John Solit in a blog post (http://bit.ly/1pmk5vD). Public Knowledge also lauded the bill. Senior Vice President Harold Feld called it “a road map for agencies to move forward that respects both the need for wireless capacity for safer ’smart cars’ and the need for more open spectrum for the internet of things,” according to a statement the group issued. “If passed, the bill would resolve an ugly traffic jam between the FCC and the Department of Transportation (DoT) that is needlessly delaying the next generation of Wi-Fi technology.” But the Intelligent Transportation Society of America was more cautious. It “supports the collaborative effort, which is already underway, to explore whether a technical solution exists that would allow Wi-Fi devices to operate in the 5.9 GHz band without interfering with these critical safety applications,” President Scott Belcher said. “But this process should be allowed to proceed without arbitrary deadlines, restrictive parameters or political pressure that could influence the outcome."