Transportation TV

In this T-Talk video, Don Butler – the executive director for Connected Vehicles and Services at Ford Motor Company – speaks to the future of vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 94% of all serious roadway crashes are due to human error. And NTSHA reports that 37,133 people died in highway crashes in 2017. In an effort to reduce roadway crashes and save lives, new technology is being developed to allow vehicles to talk to one another and to the infrastructure around them. This wireless communication network is being developed using the 5.9 GHz safety spectrum currently set aside by the Federal Communications Commission for transportation-only use. In his speech, Butler expressed serious concerns – ones shared by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and others – that some FCC officials want to open the 5.9 GHz spectrum to non-safety uses.

In August, the AASHTO Journal reported on a letter signed by all 52 AASHTO members calling on the FCC to protect the 5.9 GHz safety spectrum: https://aashtojournal.org/2019/08/23/state-dots-sign-letter-supporting-preservation-of-5-9-ghz-spectrum/ Also, in April, the AASHTO Journal reported on a desire by the FCC to open the 5.9 GHz safety spectrum for non-safety uses: https://aashtojournal.org/2019/04/19/state-dots-bracing-for-potential-changes-to-5g-spectrum/