[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66338-66340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27785]



[[Page 66338]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2018-0210]


Notice of Request for Comments: V2X Communications

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of request for comment.

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SUMMARY: Over the past several years, the Department of Transportation 
and its operating administrations have engaged in numerous activities 
related to connected vehicles, including vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), 
vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) 
communications, collectively referred to as ``V2X'' communications. 
Recently, there have been developments in core aspects of the 
communication technologies that could be associated with V2X. This 
notice requests comment on how these developments impact both V2X in 
general and the Department's role in encouraging the integration of 
V2X.

DATES: You should submit your comments within 30 days after the date of 
publication in the Federal Register. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section on ``Public Participation,'' below, for more information about 
written comments.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to the docket number above and be 
submitted by one of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    <bullet> Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building 
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
    Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments and 
additional information on the rulemaking process, see the Public 
Participation heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this 
document. Note that all comments received will be posted without change 
to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided.
    Privacy Act: Except as provided below, all comments received into 
the docket will be made public in their entirety. The comments will be 
searchable by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or 
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an associations, 
business, labor union, etc.). You should not include information in 
your comment that you do not want to be made public. You may review 
DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published 
on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78) or at https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov or to the street 
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the 
dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact us at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#234256574c4e42574a4c4d63474c570d444c55"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ee8f9b9a81838f9a878180ae8a819ac0898198">[email protected]</span></a> or Sujeesh Kurup (202-366-9953) for policy issues or 
Timothy Mullins (202-366-9038) for legal issues.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Over the past several years, the Department 
of Transportation (Department or DOT) and its operating administrations 
have engaged in numerous activities related to connected vehicles, 
which generally encompass vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-
infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communications, 
collectively known as ``V2X.'' These activities are based on the 
Department's view that V2X technologies have the potential for 
significant safety and mobility benefits, both on their own and as 
complementary technologies when combined with in-vehicle sensors 
supporting the integration of automated vehicles and other innovative 
applications such as platooning.
    The agency's connected vehicle activities have primarily centered 
on utilizing Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC), which is 
consistent with the longstanding and current Federal Communications 
Commission (FCC) allocation of the 5.9 GHz radiofrequency band, as 
discussed below. Most prominently, the National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration (NHTSA), an operating administration of DOT, issued a 
notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to mandate V2V communications for 
new light-duty vehicles and to standardize the format and performance 
requirements of V2V messages.\1\ The NPRM identified DSRC as the 
primary communication medium, but also included provisions for other 
mediums if they could meet certain ``performance and interoperability 
requirements, which are based on the capabilities of today's DSRC-based 
V2V communications.'' \2\ In addition to the NHTSA NPRM, the 
Department, State and local governments, and industry are taking many 
other actions in developing and deploying V2X technologies. For 
example, General Motors recently announced that it will be expanding 
DSRC-based V2X deployment on future Cadillac vehicles, following-up the 
first U.S. production V2X deployment in the 2017 Cadillac CTS,\3\ and 
Toyota announced it would begin offering DSRC-based V2V technology on 
selected models beginning in 2021.\4\
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    \1\ NHTSA, ``Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; V2V 
Communication,'' 82 FR 3854 (Jan. 12, 2017).
    \2\ Id. at 3881.
    \3\ General Motors, ``Cadillac to Expand Super Cruise Across 
Entire Lineup,'' Jun. 6, 2018, available at https://media.gm.com/media/cn/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/cn/en/2018/June/0606_Cadillac-Lineup.html.
    \4\ Toyota, ``Toyota and Lexus to Launch Technology to Connect 
Vehicles and Infrastructure in the U.S. in 2021,'' Apr. 6, 2018, 
available at https://corporatenews.pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota+and+lexus+to+launch+technology+connect+vehicles+infrastructure+in+u+s+2021.htm.
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    There has also been considerable progress by State and local 
governments in deploying V2X technology, in addition to DOT-funded 
deployment programs, such as the Ann Arbor Connected Vehicle 
Environment, Connected Vehicle Pilots Program, and the Advanced 
Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment 
Program. All told, the Department understands that by the end of 2018, 
there will be more than 18,000 vehicles deployed with aftermarket DSRC-
based V2X communications devices and more than 1,000 infrastructure V2X 
devices installed at intersections and along roadways in 25 States. 
Significant work has also been done on the development of the 
``Security Credential Management System'' (SCMS) for V2X 
communications, both by the Department and industry partners 
(specifically, the Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership, LLC (CAMP)), 
and other private sector organizations.
    In addition, there have been developments in core aspects of the 
communication technologies needed for V2X, which have raised questions 
about how the Department can best ensure that the safety and mobility 
benefits of connected vehicles are achieved without interfering with 
the rapid technological innovations occurring in both the automotive 
and telecommunications industries.
    First, there has been progress in both Cellular-V2X (C-V2X) and 
``5G'' communications, both of which may, or may not, offer both 
advantages and disadvantages over DSRC. C-V2X is based on the LTE (4G) 
``release 14''

[[Page 66339]]

standards issued by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) \5\ 
and is being explored by chip manufacturers.\6\ Also referred to as 
``LTE C-V2X,'' it is being evaluated by some auto manufacturers as an 
alternative to DSRC.\7\ Standards organizations are also developing the 
next generation of cellular communications, generally called ``5G,'' 
including ``New Radio C-V2X'' (or NR C-V2X), which will focus on 
enhanced V2X services in the following four areas: (i) Vehicles 
Platooning; (ii) Advanced Driving; (iii) Extended Sensors; and (iv) 
Remote Driving.\8\ Requirements for 5G-based NR C-V2X are expected to 
be solidified by December of 2019.\9\
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    \5\ For details on C-V2X, see 3GPP, ``Release 14,'' http://www.3gpp.org/release-14. For industry development of C-V2X 
definitions, see SAE, CV2X Direct Communication Task Force, https://www.sae.org/works/committeeHome.do?comtID=TEV5GDC.
    \6\ Qualcomm: https://www.qualcomm.com/invention/5g/cellular-v2xHuawei: https://www.huawei.com/en/press-events/news/2018/6/Huawei-v2x-strategy-RSU-launch.
    \7\ http://5gaa.org/news/5gaa-audi-ford-and-qualcomm-showcase-c-v2x-direct-communications-interoperability-to-improve-road-safety-2/.
    \8\ https://portal.3gpp.org/desktopmodules/Specifications/SpecificationDetails.aspx?specificationId=3108.
    \9\ http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Information/presentations/presentations_2018/RAN80_webinar_summary(brighttalk)extended.pdf.
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    Second, in response to interest on the part of certain stakeholders 
for additional spectrum to support Wi-Fi services and applications, the 
FCC released an NPRM in February 2013 to amend the Commission's rules 
governing the operation of Unlicensed National Information 
Infrastructure (U-NII) devices in the 5 GHz band. This NPRM sought 
public comment on whether the 5.9 GHz band allocated for DSRC might be 
shared with unlicensed devices--and principally Wi-Fi devices.\10\ On 
June 7, 2016, FCC issued a ``Refresh of the Record'' for this NPRM 
asking for additional input as well as prototype devices that would 
support testing of sharing concepts.\11\ To assess the feasibility of 
certain sharing concepts, the Department collaborated with FCC and the 
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in 
developing a three-phase spectrum sharing test plan, which remains 
ongoing.\12\ In addition to these activities, there is the related 
question of whether the existing spectrum framework, focused upon DSRC, 
should be revised to allow alternative technologies, including those 
discussed above, to use the relevant spectrum band for transportation 
purposes.
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    \10\ See FCC, ``Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure 
(U-NII) Devices in the 5 GHz Band,'' 78 FR 21320 (Apr. 10, 2013).
    \11\ See FCC, ``Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure 
(U-NII) Devices in the 5 GHz Band,'' 81 FR 36501 (Jun. 7, 2016).
    \12\ See FCC, Public Notice, ``The Commission Seeks To Update 
and Refresh the Record in the `Unlicensed National Information 
Infrastructure (U-NII) Devices in the 5 GHz Band' Proceeding,'' Jun. 
1, 2016, available at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-16-68A1.pdf; see also FCC, ``U-NII-4-to-DSRC EMC Test and 
Measurement Plan, Phase I: FCC Laboratory Tests,'' Oct. 7, 2016, 
available at https://transition.fcc.gov/oet/fcclab/DSRC-Test-Plan-10-05-2016.pdf; FCC, U-NII-4 Prototype Device Testing Open House 
Summary,'' Oct. 21, 2016, available at https://transition.fcc.gov/oet/fcclab/U-NII-4-DSRC-Open-House-Oct-21-2016-Summary.pdf; DOT, 
``USDOT Spectrum Sharing Analysis Plan: Effects of Unlicensed-
National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) Devices on Dedicated 
Short-Range Communications (DSRC),'' Dec. 2017, available at https://www.its.dot.gov/research_archives/connected_vehicle/dsrc_testplan.htm.
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    In light of these developments, the Department is interested in 
learning more about recent developments in V2X technologies. In 
particular, the Department wants to hear from stakeholders, and the 
public generally, whether focusing on DSRC as the primary means of V2V 
communications is consistent with recent technological developments, as 
well as with the Department's general desire to remain technologically 
neutral and avoid interfering with the many innovations in 
transportation and telecommunication technologies. If technological 
developments support the use of alternatives to DSRC, the Department 
would also need to know how to ensure that these alternative 
technologies are interoperable with each other and DSRC.
    We believe the below questions may help guide commenters, but 
commenters are also free to provide their views on the general issues 
surrounding V2X communications. To the extent possible, please provide 
data, technical information, or other evidence to support your 
comments.
    1. Please provide information on what existing or future 
technologies could be used for V2X communications, including, but not 
limited to, DSRC, LTE C-V2X and 5G New Radio. What are the advantages 
and disadvantages of each technology? What is the timeframe for 
deployment of technologies not yet in production? Please provide data 
supporting your position.
    2. Of the V2X communications technologies previously discussed, at 
present only DSRC is permitted to be used in the 5.9 GHz spectrum band 
for transportation applications. If that allocation were to be changed 
to allow any communication technology for transportation applications, 
could DSRC and other technologies (e.g., C-V2X, 5G or any future 
technology) operate in the same spectrum band or even the same channel 
without interference? Why or why not? If there are any technical 
challenges to achieving this goal, what are they and how can they be 
overcome?
    3. To what extent is it technically feasible for multiple V2X 
communications technologies and protocols to be interoperable with one 
another? Why or why not? Can this be done in a way that meets the 
performance requirements for safety of life applications, as they were 
discussed in the V2V NPRM? What additional equipment would be needed to 
achieve interoperability or changes in standards and specifications? 
What is the projected cost of any necessary changes? How soon can these 
changes and equipment prototypes be available for testing?
    4. To what extent is it technically feasible for different 
generations of the same V2X communications technologies and protocols 
to be interoperable with one another? Why or why not? Can this be done 
in a way that meets the performance requirements for safety of life 
applications? What additional equipment or changes in standards and 
specifications would be needed to achieve interoperability? What is the 
projected cost of any necessary changes?
    5. Even if they are interoperable across different technologies and 
generations of the same technology, would there be advantages if a 
single communications protocol were to be used for V2V safety 
communications? What about other V2X safety applications, such as those 
involving V2I and V2P communications?
    6. How would the development of alternative communication 
technologies affect other V2I and V2P communications, such as those 
supporting mobility or environmental applications? Do these 
applications have the same or different interoperability issues as V2V 
safety communications? Do different V2X applications (e.g., platooning) 
have different communication needs, particularly latency?
    7. Do different communication technologies present different issues 
concerning physical security (i.e., how to integrate alternative 
communication technologies into vehicle systems), message security 
(i.e., SCMS design or other approaches), or other issues such as 
cybersecurity or privacy? Would these concerns be affected if multiple 
but still interoperable communication technologies are used rather than 
one?
    8. How could communications technologies (DSRC, C-V2X, 5G or some 
other technology) be leveraged to

[[Page 66340]]

support current and emerging automated vehicle applications? Will 
different communication technologies be used in different ways? How?
    9. How could deployments, both existing and planned, assess 
communications needs and determine which technologies are most 
appropriate and whether and how interoperability could be achieved?

Public Participation

How do I prepare and submit comments?

    Your comments must be written and in English. To ensure that your 
comments are filed correctly in the docket, please include the docket 
number of this document in your comments.
    Please submit one copy (two copies if submitting by mail or hand 
delivery) of your comments, including the attachments, to the docket 
following the instructions given above under ADDRESSES. Please note, if 
you are submitting comments electronically as a PDF (Adobe) file, we 
ask that the documents submitted be scanned using an Optical Character 
Recognition (OCR) process, thus allowing the agency to search and copy 
certain portions of your submissions.

How do I submit confidential business information?

    Any submissions containing Confidential Information must be 
delivered to OST in the following manner:
    <bullet> Submitted in a sealed envelope marked ``confidential 
treatment requested'';
    <bullet> Accompanied by an index listing the document(s) or 
information that the submitter would like the Departments to withhold. 
The index should include information such as numbers used to identify 
the relevant document(s) or information, document title and 
description, and relevant page numbers and/or section numbers within a 
document; and
    <bullet> Submitted with a statement explaining the submitter's 
grounds for objecting to disclosure of the information to the public.
    OST also requests that submitters of Confidential Information 
include a non-confidential version (either redacted or summarized) of 
those confidential submissions in the public docket. In the event that 
the submitter cannot provide a non-confidential version of its 
submission, OST requests that the submitter post a notice in the docket 
stating that it has provided OST with Confidential Information. Should 
a submitter fail to docket either a non-confidential version of its 
submission or to post a notice that Confidential Information has been 
provided, we will note the receipt of the submission on the docket, 
with the submitter's organization or name (to the degree permitted by 
law) and the date of submission.

Will the agency consider late comments?

    U.S. DOT will consider all comments received before the close of 
business on the comment closing date indicated above under DATES. To 
the extent possible, the agency will also consider comments received 
after that date.

How can I read the comments submitted by other people?

    You may read the comments received at the address given above under 
COMMENTS. The hours of the docket are indicated above in the same 
location. You may also see the comments on the internet, identified by 
the docket number at the heading of this notice, at http://www.regulations.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC on December 12, 2018, under authority 
delegated at 49 U.S.C. 1.25a.
Finch Fulton,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy.
[FR Doc. 2018-27785 Filed 12-21-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P


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