The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted final rules for cellular-vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology.
These rules will improve transportation safety and permit more efficient mobility as this advanced communications technology is integrated into vehicles and infrastructure. 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.
These new rules will accelerate the automotive industry and state and federal government plans for transitioning from dated technology to the more advanced C-V2X automobile safety technology. In-vehicle and roadside units will be permitted to operate C-V2X technology in the 5.9 GHz spectrum band dedicated to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).
The Report and Order, released November 21, 2024, after a unanimous vote by the bipartisan Commission, promotes efficient use of 30 megahertz of spectrum dedicated for ITS in the 5.9 GHz band as well as provides substantial safety benefits to the American public. It codifies C-V2X technical parameters in the Commission's rules, including power and emission limits and message prioritization. The rules provide flexibility for the auto industry to use three 10-megahertz channels either separately or in combination as a 20-megahertz channel or as a single 30-megahertz channel. The Order permits devices that have already been authorized under C-V2X waivers to continue to be marketed and operated, and provides a timeline for sunsetting existing Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC)-based technology.