The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on final rules that it says will “improve transportation safety and mobility by integrating advanced communications technologies into vehicles and infrastructure.”

The rules would allow in-vehicle and roadside units to operate cellular-vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology in the 5.9 GHz spectrum dedicated to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), according to an FCC news release.

In its first report and order, FCC adopted provisions that require ITS operators to move Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) operations out of the lower 45 megahertz of the 5.9 GHz band and transition operations to C-V2X technology. FCC sought comment on proposals aimed at finalizing the technical parameters for C-V2X operations.

C-V2X technology provides direct communications between vehicles, roadside infrastructure, and other road users such as cyclists, pedestrians, and road workers to facilitate, among other things, non-line-of-sight awareness, notice of changing driving conditions, and automated driving.

“The evolution of the 5.9 GHz band advances new car safety technologies in an efficient and effective way while also growing our wireless economy,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, in the release. “This is sound spectrum management at work.”

To permit the full benefits of connected vehicle technology to flourish, the rules would also optionally permit devices installed in vehicles to use geofencing techniques to allow C-V2X equipment to transmit at a higher power level when operating outside of protection zones around federal radiolocation sites.

A July 5 letter submitted to FCC by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators) states the finalization of technical rules for C-V2X operation in the upper 5.9 GHz band remains of “paramount importance” to the automotive industry to improve transportation and vehicular-safety related applications. Auto Innovators represents nearly all automakers as well as automotive suppliers, manufacturers, and technology companies.

“Importantly, a second report and order containing final technical rules for C-V2X operation in the upper 5.9 GHz band will resolve some of the remaining regulatory uncertainty that has delayed widespread deployment of C-V2X technology, while also helping to ensure that the U.S. remains competitive in global automotive innovation,” the letter states.

“The commission’s prompt finalization of a second report and order on the 5.9 GHz band will serve the public interest by providing automotive ecosystem stakeholders with the regulatory certainty needed to support deployment of cutting-edge C-V2X safety applications at scale. Rapid finalization will also help address a growing U.S. automotive safety crisis, maintain American competitiveness in automotive innovation, and encourage harmonized global deployment of CV2X technologies in the Upper 5.9 GHz band.”

Hilary Cain, Auto Innovators policy senior vice president, told Repairer Driven News Rosenworcel of an upcoming vote is positive news, and has been urged by the alliance for nearly four years.

“C-V2X is an exciting safety technology and a perfect example of the sort of spectrum-enabled innovation that’s possible when the FCC and auto industry work together,” she said.

Rosenworcel worked for nearly a decade in a bipartisan push to reconsider the best use of the 5.9 GHz band that had long been designated for automobile safety technology but had made little progress toward deployment, according to the release.

“These efforts resulted in new rules for the automotive industry that move away from dated technology to the more advanced C-V2X automobile safety technology while also freeing up additional spectrum for unlicensed use, such as Wi-Fi,” the release states.

FCC says the report and order circulated by Rosenworcel would, if adopted, promote the efficient use of 30 megahertz of spectrum dedicated for ITS in the 5.9 GHz band and provide substantial safety benefits to the American public. It would also codify C-V2X technical parameters in the commission’s rules including power and emission limits and message prioritization.

The auto industry would be able to use three 10-megahertz channels separately, in combination as a 20-megahertz channel, or as a single 30-megahertz channel. The rules would also establish prioritization of safety-of-life communications.

The rules wouldn’t require licensees already operating under C-V2X waivers to make changes to their currently deployed systems and would provide a two-year timeline for sunsetting the use of existing DSRC-based technology.