The announcement Monday that the Department of Transportation...

The announcement Monday that the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are moving forward on wide deployment of vehicle-to-vehicle warning systems (CD Feb 4 p4) could have negative implications for the use of the same 5.9 GHz band for Wi-Fi, Hogan Lovells said in a post on its regulatory law blog. “Regulating in the space of connected and autonomous mobility is complicated,” wrote Jacqueline Glassman, a partner who specializes in transportation law (http://bit.ly/1fM8v9t). “The federal Vehicle Safety Act, which was first enacted in 1965, is structured around a fleet of mechanically-driven motor vehicles. The Act authorizes NHTSA to promulgate performance-based standards applicable to motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment.” DOT and NHTSA make clear they are “clearing a path to ensure that: (1) motor vehicle safety remains a top federal government priority; (2) DOT and NHTSA remain the primary regulators in the space; and (3) ongoing guidance, regulation and policy continue to be based on research and science -- even if that science takes time to develop and may impede more immediate demands, such as the growing need for more Wi-Fi spectrum,” Glassman wrote.