Chairman Pai Statement on Announcement of New C-V2X Deployment

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai released the following statement regarding an upcoming Cellular Vehicle to Everything (CV2X) deployment in Northern Virginia, which was announced Jan 22 by Audi, Qualcomm, and the Virginia Department of Transportation. The deployment will include warnings that automatically alert cars to upcoming work zones as well as SPaT (signal phase and timing), which enables cars to receive a countdown from a red light to a green light: 

“The cars and trucks of the future will use wireless spectrum and advanced technologies to keep us safer on the road. Cellular Vehicle to Everything, or C-V2X, is a new and promising technology that is gaining momentum in the automotive industry as it enables communications between cars, infrastructure, cyclists, pedestrians, and road workers. Today’s C-V2X deployment announcement was only made possible through an experimental license. That’s because the current rules governing the 5.9 GHz band lock us into DSRC, a technology authorized by the FCC more than twenty years ago that has never been widely deployed. The FCC recognizes the promise of C-V2X, having voted unanimously in Dec on a proposal to designate 20 megahertz for its deployment in the 5.9 GHz band. If this proposal is adopted, it would be a significant step forward for automotive safety, since there is currently no spectrum designated for C-V2X. Americans on the move would be the beneficiaries—but only if the FCC takes action and leaves the failed status quo behind.”