ITS America Notes Importance of Vehicle-Vehicle Communications in Comments to FCC on DSRC
IVsource.net
30 June 2001

In its comments filed last month with the FCC, ITS America emphasized the importance of Dedicated Short Range Communications, or DSRC, in future vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems.

In comments filed last month with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), ITS America has gone on record to emphasize the importance of Dedicated Short Range Communications, or DSRC, in future vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems.

The comments were filed in response to an FCC  Public Notice that sought comments on ITS America's previously filed status report on licensing and service issues for DSRC-based applications at 5.9 GHz ( WT Docket No. 01-90).

In its comments, ITS America asserted that a single, open, national DSRC standard is required to ensure national interoperability.  Currently, the selection of this standard is the highest priority of the standards working group within ITS America, which is both an industry association and the United States' national focal point for public discussion of all aspects of intelligent transportation systems.

In addition, ITS America strongly recommended that the allocated DSRC spectrum (75 megahertz from 5.850-5.925GHz) be divided between public safety and private radio uses, with the predominant share allocated to public safety.  The association reiterated that the DSRC spectrum must be allocated to meet critical public safety needs of the transportation industry, particularly for roadside-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-vehicle applications.  Therefore, the DSRC spectrum is neither suitable nor intended for commercial wireless applications -- an important distinction, lest the band lose the protections inherent in its public safety designation (for instance, being exempt from auction).

The comments filed by ITS America also requested that an expanded definition of Public Safety be utilized in order to encompass "nontraditional" public safety entities that are likely to utilize the DSRC spectrum, which could include public OR private transportation organizations and ITS system managers.

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For More Information ...

... check out the full text of ITS America's comments (an Acrobat .pdf file), and their press release on the subject.

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