ITS America President Confirms Commitment to VII and Other Programs
For Immediate Release May 17, 2005 ITS America President Confirms Commitment to VII and Other Programs WASHINGTON, DC, May 17, 2005 - ITS America president & CEO Neil Schuster stated clearly today that "ITS America has made no decision to hand off any activities to the Connected Vehicle Trade Association or other groups." Mr. Schuster made these remarks in an open letter to ITS America's membership today, removing any doubt that the organization's intent is to remain the principle spokesperson for the ITS industry. With recent speculation that a new start-up organization or other group planned to take over certain activities, ITS America made it clear that it intends to help define and encourage the application market for VII and continue to support other federal and industry-led programs. Below is a transcript of this letter: Dear ITS America Member: It has come to our attention that recent press reports about ITS America's relationship to the Connected Vehicle Trade Association and our support of that group's proposed efforts are misleading. ITS America supports all efforts to achieve our long-term transportation vision ? a future with Zero Fatalities, Zero Delays in transportation. We work closely with a number of key stakeholders in pursuit of that goal, including motor vehicle manufacturers, their Tier 1 suppliers, wireless and telecommunications interests, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, the transportation engineering and software integration community, commercial vehicle interests, academia, state and local governments, transit authorities and toll agencies. ITS America's membership represents a rich and diverse range of public and private sector interests in the ITS arena. Through our Automotive, Telecommunications and Consumer Electronics Forum, the other seven Forums of our Coordinating Council, our Business Leadership Council and various ITS America state chapters, we are actively engaged in the Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration (VII) initiative and related federal ITS program initiatives that support its deployment and application. By assisting in the discussion and resolution of key technical and policy issues that surround the VII program and other key ITS programs, ITS America is helping to bring the many elements of the ITS industry to the table, as well as delivering the message outward. In fact, on behalf of the VII Coalition and the US DOT, ITS America hosted the first public meeting on VII last February in San Francisco, California. Beyond our federally supported role, our members are actively engaged in the development of future ITS applications that will rely on a robust VII infrastructure. We are just now beginning to define the market growth indicators that will help us to track the progress in this new arena, and will provide our members with additional value by participating in these clearinghouse and outreach functions. ITS America has made no decision to hand off our activities in this area to the Connected Vehicle Trade Association or other groups. We do not have plans to seek a memorandum of understanding with CVTA, and reports to that effect are inaccurate. We believe ITS America has a robust program in support of VII that serves its members well and makes a significant contribution to the project's success and we plan to continue and enhance that program over time. More importantly, our program extends beyond just the elements that will make VII a reliable communications infrastructure, as we actively engage a very wide breadth of application development that will be the ultimate users of a VII system on the first day it is launched. No one else brings the number of stakeholders to the table that we do, and for this we remain proud. Our Annual Meeting just 10 days ago was one of our most successful in recent years. This confirms that our membership is strong and ready to take on more, and most importantly is not ready to cede any of our activity to others. I welcome any thoughts, questions, or general feedback on how we can continue to serve you better, and thank you as always for your continued support. Neil D. Schuster President & CEO ITS America "Technology Transforming Transportation" http://www.itsa.org About ITS America The Intelligent Transportation Society of America is the leading advocate for ITS development and deployment in the United States. ITS America was established in 1991 as a not-for-profit organization to foster the use of advanced technologies in surface transportation systems. Members include national and international companies, public interest groups, universities and research laboratories, and government agencies at all levels. ITS America works closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation in support of the National ITS Program and serves as an invaluable resource to its members in the areas of technology, legislative affairs, public safety, public policy, societal implications, and business expansion. Visit http://www.itsa.org for more information. Contact: Sabrina Quirarte Director of Communications 202-721-4205 squirarte@itsa.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2005 ITS World Congress...Nov 6-10, San Francisco, CA 2006 Annual Meeting & Expo...May 8-10, Philadelphia, PA (See attached file: ITSA VII 5.17.05.pdf)