In America, groups representing the freight industry and passenger transportation sectors are calling on a Senate panel to direct the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider a proposal to shift a portion of vehicle safety airwaves for broadband uses.

TT News reports that the ITS America-led group has criticised the FCC’s position to reallocate an aspect of the 5.9 GHz band preserved for transport communications, saying preserving the existing spectrum band would “facilitate innovation that would lead to safety benefits for motorists and passengers”.

“Reducing the amount of spectrum available to vehicle-to-everything technologies undermines our shared interest in reducing the number of traffic fatalities and injuries that occur each year on U.S. roadways, improving motor vehicle safety and improving the operational performance of roadways by reducing congestion across the transportation system,” the groups wrote the leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee. The panel has jurisdiction over trucking policy.