V2V Mandate: Automakers Seeking Bandwidth

We reported back in early 2014 that the Transportation Department would like to mandate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology. The goal from that department is to start the new car V2V requirement around 2017. In a press release back in August of 2014, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said, “Safety is our top priority, and V2V technology represents the next great advance in saving lives.” However, that proposed mandate has run into a roadblock.

That roadblock exists because a number of entities want to use the frequency that is needed for V2V technology. The in-car tech functions when in-car vehicle systems send out signals to detect objects, people and other cars. When an obstacle is detected, the vehicle would theoretically send out a warning sound. Thus, in theory, cars telling their owners about upcoming or unseen obstacles would prevent accidents. This would all be done using 75 MHz of bandwidth in the upper 5.8 and lower 5.9 GHz band. Automakers want to use the signal, but they aren’t alone.

It seems that some in government and the private sector want to open it up for unrestricted use. Automakers are being painted as the ones who are slowing down progress, but is that really the case? Is it perhaps a matter of the auto industry just wanting to develop safer V2V technology without government interference? Certainly one of the concerns on this topic from the automotive sector is the threat of government bureaucracy. On this issue, the Intelligent Transportation Society of America issued a statement, which reads in part, “We support efforts to identify spectrum that may be utilized to expand Wi-Fi applications…but this process should be allowed to proceed without arbitrary deadlines, restrictive parameters or political pressure that could influence the outcome.”

Who is right on this issue? Automakers say they want to develop technology without government interference. Tech companies and certain lawmakers want to open up that bandwidth for unrestricted use. Which is more important — V2V technology or providing more internet access?