DOT Proposes DSRC Mandate for 5.9 GHz Band, Raises Wi-Fi Concerns
The Department of Transportation released its long-awaited NPRM on vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications Tuesday. DOT’s work has been closely watched in the communications industry as Wi-Fi advocates seek unlicensed use of 5.9 GHz spectrum earlier set aside by the FCC for anti-crash, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) systems. The proposed rules would require automakers to install V2V technologies in all cars and other light-duty vehicles. Comments will be due 90 days after the NPRM is published in the Federal Register.
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The document recognizes that the FCC is exploring Wi-Fi use of the 5.9 GHz spectrum. With Wi-Fi use growing “exponentially,” allowing unlicensed use “could result in many more devices transmitting and receiving information on the same or similar frequencies, which could potentially interfere with V2V communications in ways harmful to its safety intent,” the NPRM said. “More research is needed on whether these Wi-Fi enabled devices can share the spectrum successfully with V2V, and if so, how.”
The commission has been testing 5.9 GHz Wi-Fi devices since the summer with an eye on sharing (see 1608010044). Disagreements remain between automakers and safety groups and Wi-Fi advocates about how the band should be shared between Wi-Fi and DSRC systems designed to prevent auto crashes (see 1605260059).
FCC Republicans Mike O’Rielly and Ajit Pai have supported rechannelizing the 5.9 GHz band with separate allocation for DSRC and Wi-Fi. Industry officials said Tuesday decisions will have to be made by the newly reconstituted commission after Donald Trump becomes president.
O'Rielly Tuesday questioned "whether DSRC will ever live up to expectations" and said DOT’s proposal "should not, and must not, delay or impact the FCC’s work to test and potentially approve spectrum sharing in the 5.9 GHz band," in a statement. "The Commission must ensure that this band is used as efficiently as possible, including allowing unlicensed operations, for such purposes as Wi-Fi, without causing harmful interference to DSRC safety-of-life technologies.”
“Now that DOT has decided to move ahead with a V2V mandate for safety purposes, the FCC must now decide whether the 5.9 GHz band should be segmented to separate safety from non-safety applications,” said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America. “Our consumer group coalition continues to agree that the public interest in both enhanced auto safety and better broadband is best served if auto safety applications are given exclusive spectrum at the top of the band, allowing Wi-Fi and non-safety DSRC applications to share the lower half of the band. An immediate FCC decision to separate safety from non-safety applications would create certainty for auto safety regardless of how non-safety auto applications and Wi-Fi ultimately share the rest of the band.”
Public Knowledge said it was pleased the NPRM asks questions about the privacy and cybersecurity concerns raised by it and New America in a June petition at the FCC (see 1606280066). DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released the NPRM. “We are encouraged that NHTSA is taking the concerns raised by our petition seriously, and is asking essential questions about privacy, cybersecurity, and the potential negative impacts of DSRC as it moves forward with its mandate,” said John Gasparini, PK policy fellow, in a news release. “These are critical concerns.”
"We will review NHTSA’s proposed rule on V2V communications to see how it complements other advanced systems that are starting to be included in a growing number of new automobiles,” said a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “The DSRC radios proposed for V2V are already being tested on public roads in Michigan and are expected to be available in select new vehicles in 2017, so it is important that the radio frequency band reserved by the federal government for DSRC remains free from any harmful interference from electronic devices using Wi-Fi.”
Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., urged DOT to take privacy and cybersecurity issues seriously. “While these new technologies have the potential to save lives, security and privacy cannot be an afterthought in this new era of connected cars,” they said in a joint statement. “If hackers access a vehicle’s systems, privacy could be compromised, the safety of the vehicle could be put at risk and disaster could ensue.”
“We are carrying the ball as far as we can to realize the potential of transportation technology to save lives,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a news release. “This long promised V2V rule is the next step in that progression. Once deployed, V2V will provide 360-degree situational awareness on the road and will help us enhance vehicle safety.”
The NPRM says “the market will not achieve sufficient coverage absent a mandate ... for all new light vehicles.” DOT said in year 30 of deployment, V2V systems would prevent 424,901 to 594,569 crashes and save 955 to 1,321 lives. The NPRM projects monetary benefits of $53 billion-$71 billion at annual costs of $2.2 billion-$5 billion, not including “spectrum opportunity costs.” DSRC devices will “transmit messages about a vehicle’s speed, heading, braking status, etc. to surrounding vehicles, as well as to receive comparable information from surrounding vehicles,” the NPRM said.