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Conditions Sought

Most Commenters Support 5.9 GHz Waivers; NCTA Raises Concerns

Qualcomm, the Alliance for Innovation, the main automaker trade group, ITS America and most commenters urged the FCC to approve a December waiver request by proponents of cellular-vehicle-to-everything use of the 5.9 GHz band asking to be able to deploy as fast as possible (see 2112140070). NCTA sounded a note of caution, as did the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA).

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While a few filed early (see 2207270032), most comments were posted Friday in docket 19-138. The FCC also has before it waiver requests from the Ohio, Texas and New York City transportation departments, the city of Arlington, Texas, and Spoke Safety.

NCTA said it doesn’t oppose waivers, per se, but the FCC should “explicitly condition any waiver on the C-V2X Joint Waiver Parties’ compliance with all the conditions and technical parameters described in their filings.” The FCC should also address whether a proposed power limit of 33 dBm effective isotropic radiated power for C-V2X is consistent with an analysis the NTIA filed, which consider only 23 dBm EIRP for C-V2X operations in vehicles and “provide details on why this is the case,” cablers said.

If the Commission has already found that moving forward exclusively with C-V2X in the upper 5.9 GHz Band is in the public interest, further delaying the deployment of this technology is certainly not,” MEMA said. But the group called on the regulator to also address out-of-band emissions to limit the potential for interference.

Never before has there been this level of support from all core stakeholder groups who want to deploy” intelligent transportation system technology “in the 5.9 GHz band,” Qualcomm said: “It is critically important that C-V2X operations pursuant to waiver are permitted without any further delay and that final C-V2X rules are approved soon thereafter, so state and local transportation authorities, roadway infrastructure providers, and automakers can widely deploy this technology on America’s roadways.” Qualcomm was the first to demonstrate the potential for C-V2X as an alternative to dedicated short-range communications.

ITS America said approving the waivers will “allow rapid deployment of pilot programs nationwide.” Automakers, state transportation departments and equipment manufacturers “share a common interest” in quick deployment, the group said: “The only commercial (non-experimental) path currently available to parties that wish to deploy C-V2X technology lies in the waiver process.”

A grant will allow automakers, state departments of transportation, and C-V2X manufacturers to deploy ITS technology to help address a growing traffic safety crisis in the U.S.,” said the Alliance for Innovation. Approval “will help ensure that the technology can be implemented into the vehicle models at the design stage and delivered to consumers expeditiously” and “ensure that the U.S. remains competitive in global automotive innovation and does not fall behind other countries.”

On the heels of the Commission’s decision to proceed with C-V2X in the Upper 5.9 GHz band, stakeholders across the ITS ecosystem are stepping forward with waiver requests to deploy C-V2X technology now,” said the 5G Automotive Association, which was formed to push for C-V2X deployment. “The C-V2X Joint Waiver Request and the other pending requests all meet the Commission’s waiver standard,” the group said: “The safety-related purposes of the legacy ITS rules applicable to the Upper 5.9 GHz band would be frustrated by continuing to apply those rules to the circumstances here.”

Among other government groups urging approval were the Texas, Virginia and Colorado transportation departments.