Automakers have voiced concerns over the recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposal to open a large portion of new spectrum for Wi-Fi because of the potential for interference with the “vehicle-to-vehicle network” system planned for development in the near future.
Designed to improve highway safety, the proposed vehicle-to-vehicle network would enable cars to share information about their destination, speed, acceleration and breaking. The network would also inform cars of traffic and road conditions and allow them to react automatically to avoid accidents.
However, any public safety and transportation management benefits would be erased if the new commercial Wi-Fi signals were to interfere with the wireless signals of the car network, the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA) said in a letter written to the FCC.
“We support efforts to identify spectrum that may be utilized to expand Wi-Fi applications,” the ITSA said in a statement. “But with over 30,000 deaths on our nation’s roads every year, we also believe it is critical that efforts to open up additional spectrum do not come at the expense of revolutionary life-saving technologies.”
The letter asked the FCC to thoroughly investigate the potential for interference, and requested that a decision be made by the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding the implementation of a vehicle-to-vehicle network before a final agreement on the Wi-Fi expansion is completed.
