ITS America President & CEO Shailen Bhatt on FCC 5.9GHz Safety Spectrum Proposal

Statements & Press Releases

Issues:

Connected Vehicles

November 20, 2019

“In a country that reels from nearly 36,000 roadway deaths every year, it is unfathomable that the United States would literally give away our top safety tool – and with it, our best chance to save tens of thousands of lives. The FCC is prepared to trade safer roads for more connectivity by giving away much of the 5.9GHz safety spectrum, which allows vehicles to talk to each other and the infrastructure (V2X communications) – and it proposes to make such an inexplicable decision in the absence of data. The Commission is prepared to put not just drivers but pedestrians and other vulnerable users, particularly first responders and those in work zones, at grave risk – and for what? It comes down to priorities – we can save and protect people’s lives, or we can ensure its easier to place online orders from our cars. The choice is clear – safety always wins.”

Contact: Cathy St. Denis, cstdenis@itsa.org

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