Updated 2026-10-08
The rules in one paragraph
The FCC's Second Report and Order, FCC 24-123 (adopted November 20, 2024, effective February 11, 2025), finished the move of intelligent transportation systems to the upper 30 MHz of the 5.9 GHz band, 5.895 to 5.925 GHz, using C-V2X only. Roadside units are licensed under Part 90 Subpart M (47 CFR 90.386 to 90.393); on-board units are licensed by rule under Part 95 Subpart L and need no individual license. DSRC stations must stop transmitting on December 14, 2026, and no new DSRC licenses have been issued since February 11, 2025. Sources: FCC 24-123, 47 CFR 90.350, FCC DA 26-1074 reminder of October 5, 2026.
Who files
The licensee is the operating entity. States, cities, counties, tolling and transit authorities are eligible for the public-safety radio service code IQ; contractors, OEMs, universities and other private entities are eligible under code QQ (47 CFR 90.388). A contractor such as ITS Roads can prepare and file in ULS on an agency's behalf, but the license is held under the agency's FCC Registration Number. Government and nonprofit public-safety applicants are fee-exempt; others pay the site-based wireless fees (new license or major modification $105, renewal $35).
Step by step
- Get an FCC Registration Number (FRN) in CORES if the agency does not already have one.
- Apply for the geographic license with FCC Form 601 in the Universal Licensing System: radio service IQ or QQ, regulatory status non-common carrier, fixed service, and the area of operation (the agency's jurisdiction; private applicants choose county, state or nationwide). Licenses are non-exclusive and run up to ten years. There is no frequency coordination requirement for this band (47 CFR 90.175(j)(16)).
- Register each RSU after the license is granted, with Form 601 Schedule M and an attachment of type "C-V2X RSU Registration": site name and coordinates, antenna make, model, gain, beamwidth and height, channel, output power and EIRP, environmental and quiet-zone answers. ULS still shows the DSRC channel list; select the full upper 30 MHz as instructed in FCC DA 25-125. An RSU may not operate until its registration is effective.
- Check the NTIA coordination zones. Thirty-one federal radiolocation sites have coordination zones (47 CFR 90.387); an RSU inside one needs NTIA approval before it operates.
- Build within 12 months of the registration's effective date (47 CFR 90.155(i)) and delete registrations for RSUs taken out of service.
- Converting a DSRC RSU that is already registered is a Schedule M modification; after December 14, 2026 the FCC will delete DSRC RSUs from IQ and QQ licenses.
The most complete click-by-click walkthrough is Appendix B of the 5GAA 5.9 GHz FAQ (February 2025). FCC contacts named in the October 2026 public notice are in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.
Technical limits that affect the RSU design
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Channels (90.390) | Three 10 MHz channels, 5895-5905, 5905-5915, 5915-5925; combinable into 20 MHz (5895-5915 or 5905-5925) or one 30 MHz channel. Industry deploys the 20 MHz 5905-5925 channel per SAE J3161/1, which NTCIP 1218 units report as channel 183 |
| RSU power (90.391) | 33 dBm EIRP power spectral density per channel toward the horizon; antenna radiation center at most 8 m above the roadway, up to 15 m with EIRP reduced by 20 log(height / 8) dB |
| Out-of-band emissions (90.392) | -16 dBm per 100 kHz within 1 MHz of the band edges, stepping down to -28 dBm per MHz beyond 30 MHz |
| Priority (90.390(b)) | Safety-of-life first, then public safety; government RSUs are presumed public safety; later RSUs must accommodate earlier ones |
| Station ID | RSUs in this band are exempt (90.425(d)(10)) |
| Equipment | Part 2 certified C-V2X equipment; OmniAir certification is separate and voluntary but increasingly specified |
What ITS Roads does for agencies
We prepare the Form 601 package, the Schedule M registrations with surveyed coordinates and antenna data, the NTIA zone check, and the construction notifications, and we keep the registrations current as RSUs move. For a fleet converting from DSRC before the sunset we audit the existing license, modify the registrations and verify the radios on the new channel plan.
References
- FCC 24-123, Second Report and Order: docs.fcc.gov; Federal Register 89 FR 100838
- FCC DA 25-125, transition public notice with filing instructions (February 11, 2025): docs.fcc.gov
- FCC DA 26-1074, DSRC termination reminder (October 5, 2026): docs.fcc.gov
- 47 CFR Part 90 Subpart M: ecfr.gov; Part 95 Subpart L: ecfr.gov
- 5GAA, 5.9 GHz Second Report and Order FAQ (February 2025): 5gaa.org
- ITS America, Future of V2X in 5.9 GHz (May 2024): itsa.org