WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission today voted to expend the spectrum band available for vehicular radar, with autonomous vehicle technologies such as collision avoidance and adaptive cruise control in mind.
Today’s action expanded the current 76-77 GHz spectrum allocation to include the complete 76-81 GHz band and transitions radars out of the 24 GHz band. According to the commission, this band is consistent with vehicle-radar spectrum allocations internationally, which will eliminate the need to customize radars for different markets.
Also according to the commission, “Access to this additional spectrum will enable continued innovation in this space, allowing these radars to better distinguish between objects in areas close to the vehicle. This action will improve performance for applications such as lane change warnings, blind spot detection, parking aids,stop and follow, stop and go, autonomous braking and pedestrian detection.”
The Order also permits the use of this band for fixed and mobile airport radars used for activities such as detecting debris on runways.
The related docket is No. 15-26.
