The U.S. Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on Jan. 25 in the case of multiple transportation organizations to block a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) order to redistribute a portion of the safety spectrum.

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) appealed the FCC’s Nov. 18, 2020 order to reallocate a portion of the 5.9 GHz spectrum band to unlicensed uses including WiFi.

The FCC voted unanimously to reallocate more than half of the safety band. The new rules adopted by the FCC make the lower 45 megahertz (MHz) of the spectrum available for unlicensed uses and require Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) licensees to stop using that portion of the spectrum within a year.

ATSSA filed a friend of the court brief in support of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN), which are appealing an order by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reallocate a portion of the 5.9 GHz spectrum band to unlicensed uses including WiFi.

The FCC voted unanimously on Nov. 18, 2020 to reallocate more than half of the safety band. The new rules adopted by the FCC make the lower 45 megahertz (MHz) of the spectrum available for unlicensed uses and require Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) licensees to stop using that portion of the spectrum within a year.

The FCC’s action came despite warnings from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), U.S. Department of the Treasury and multiple transportation-safety-focused organizations including ATSSA.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously today to reallocate more than half of the 5.9GHz spectrum band—known as the “safety spectrum”—to unlicensed uses including WiFi.

The new rules adopted today make the lower 45 megahertz of the spectrum available for unlicensed uses. They require Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) licensees to stop using this portion of the spectrum within a year.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner called the action "a major blow to the roadway safety community and public safety in general."

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is scheduled for a final vote Nov. 18 on reallocating a portion of the 5.9 GHz spectrum band, commonly known as the safety spectrum, for Wi-Fi.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai proposed sharing the spectrum a year ago and this week reiterated his support for the idea saying that “making more spectrum available for Wi-Fi is critical to meeting America’s growing connectivity need,” Reuters reported.

As reported here, from the outset, ATSSA and others including the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) and the Department of Defense opposed the idea for safety and security reasons.

Federal Communications Chair Ajit Pai will be the headline speaker at 11 a.m. Wednesday during a live event hosted by The Hill news outlet.

The event, “The Future of Human Connectivity,” is available to the public. People who sign up can also submit a question. People can also email questions to events@thehill.com.

His session runs from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. E.T. and is entitled, “New Lines of Community: What Connectivity Means and What We Still Need.” Bob Cusack, The Hill’s editor-in-chief, will lead the conversation with Pai.