OMB Approves NHTSA V2V Communications ANPRM

Yesterday the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) announced that it had approved the DOT’s National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on establishing a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) for vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communications.

This rulemaking was not included in the Spring Unified Agenda so it isn’t clear exactly what this rulemaking would encompass, but I suspect that it is related to the DOT’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office’s (ITSJPO) connected vehicle program. I last mentioned this program back in February. I expect that we will find out more details when the ANPRM is published, probably next week.

DOT Announces Connected Vehicle Research Meeting – 9-24-13

Today the DOT Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS-JPO) published  a meeting notice in the Federal Register (78 FR 42997) for the annual public meeting about the connected vehicle research program. The notice describes the program as “a multimodal program that involves using wireless communication between vehicles, infrastructure, and personal communications devices to improve safety, mobility, and environmental sustainability”.

As I noted in an earlier blog post there is very little related to cybersecurity listed on the programs rather extensive web site. This is an item of concern that may be addressed at the public meeting, but I tend to doubt it.

The meeting agenda is briefly described in this notice as covering:

• ITS JPO's Connected Vehicle safety program;

• Vehicle-to-vehicle communications;

• Safety pilot;

• Vehicle-to-infrastructure communications;

• Human factors;

• ITS Strategic Plan for 2015 to 2019; and

• Developing USDOT Multimodal Plan for Vehicle Automation. 

The public is being specifically invited to attend the meeting and should register to attend. There is no indication in the notice that there will be a web cast of this meeting.

Connected Vehicle Planning and Policy Meeting

Today the Department of Transportation’s Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) published a meeting notice in today’s Federal Register (78 FR 45996-45997) for a public meeting seeking input from the planning community and related national associations on policy and legal aspects of Connected Vehicle implementation. The meeting will be held on September 12^th, 2013 in Washington, DC.

With talks being given at this week’s blackhat convention on hacking automotive control systems, the timing of this notice seems especially appropriate. According to the DOT’s Connected Vehicle Research web site:

“The development and deployment of a fully connected transportation system that makes the most of multi-modal, transformational applications requires a robust, underlying technological platform. The platform is a combination of well-defined technologies, interfaces, and processes that, combined, ensure safe, stable, interoperable, reliable system operations that minimize risk and maximize opportunities.”

Unfortunately there is little information about this meeting in the notice beyond the time and place. The ITS JPO will provide more information about the meeting to registrants. To register to attend the meeting contact  Elizabeth Machek of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (Elizabeth.machek@dot.gov). With the limited information being made available to the public it does not seem to me that DOT is really interested in public feedback on this program.