Carmakers Face Deadline on Connected-Car Broadcast Spectrum

The auto industry is being pressured to either use broadcast spectrum allotted to it 15 years ago by the Federal Communications Commission or allow wi-fi service provides to tap it, Bloomberg News reports.

Carmakers intend to use the frequency band to enable cars to talk to each other over short ranges, swapping data that will help smooth traffic flow and prevent crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has described such technology as a "huge advance" in automotive safety that could avert about 80% of car crashes.

But a lack of government standards about how and what cars might communicate has slowed implementation. Dept. of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has said DOT will propose rules for car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communications before Pres. Barack Obama's term ends in January 2017.

In the meantime, wireless data and video service providers tell the FCC they need more spectrum to ease congestion that can sometimes slow or interrupt their fast-growing wi-fi traffic, half of it videos.

Carmakers led by General Motors Co. want to maintain control over the disputed spectrum to avoid signal interference that could cause safety problems. Service providers led by Comcast, Google and Microsoft say it's time for the auto industry to use it or lose it.

Wi-fi service express confidence in their ability to share the auto industry's spectrum without jeopardizing driver safety. Carmakers aren't so sure and suggest more research on the issue.

The FCC is considering a sharing proposal presented last year by former FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. Comcast complained separately to the commission that carmakers may take decades to implement their smart-car technologies.