Evaluation and Synthesis of Connected Vehicle Communication Technologies

In 1999, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated the intelligent transportation system (ITS) band, also known as the “5.9 GHz band,” for transportation purposes including connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies. These technologies enable a host of applications for vehicle‐to-vehicle, vehicle‐to‐infrastructure, and vehicle‐to‐pedestrian communication — collectively known as vehicle‐to‐everything (V2X). Today, the connectivity required for V2X is enabled by dedicated short‐range communications and cellular V2X.

The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Web-Only Document 310: Evaluation and Synthesis of Connected Vehicle Communication Technologies presents a compilation of material on the 5.9 GHz band and the actions taken by the FCC from 2019 through early 2021 to reallocate portions of this band away from dedicated use for traffic flow, traffic safety, and other ITS applications that are essential for CAVs.

Supplementary to the document is a video.