A Fresh Look at the 5.9 GHz Band

It’s time for the Federal Communications Commission to take a fresh look at the 5.9 GHz band. After two decades and millions of dollars in wasted government subsidies, the Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) experiment in the 5.9 GHz band has clearly failed. The growth of Wi-Fi over the last two decades and the potential of this spectrum to deliver better Wi-Fi only amplify this failure in policy. The time is now for the Commission to open all or a substantial part of the 5.9 GHz band to unlicensed innovation and consider flexible options for addressing the spectrum needs of automotive technologies. 

NCTA suggests that the FCC expeditiously adopt a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking or other appropriate vehicle that: (1) recognizes that past over-regulatory efforts to mandate a particular technology or to reserve the band for particular companies have failed; (2) finds that substantial changes in the 5 GHz spectrum environment, the market’s rejection of DSRC, and the pressing need for additional unlicensed spectrum support a proposal to designate all or a substantial portion of the 5.9 GHz band for unlicensed use; and (3) seeks comment on whether to allocate other, more suitable spectrum for automotive communications technologies.