ATS: Texas Introduces Bill to Require RFID Certificates on Every Car

Alex Jones is reporting today that the State of Texas has proposed a bill (HB2893) requiring all vehicles to carry an electronic transponder. The technology is to be embedded into special Inspection Certificates to be issued starting no later than January 1, 2006. The bill is being sold as a Liability Insurance Compliance Program. However, upon closer reading "other uses" become apparent. Some quotes from HB2893:



The bill follows an announced plan by Texas to build over 4,000 miles of expressways mostly consisting of toll lanes.

The Trans-Texas Corridor, almost a quarter-mile wide, would carry cars, trucks, trains and pipelines for water, oil, natural gas, electricity and fiber optics. The roads would be built over the next 50 years at a cost of up to $185 billion, mostly with private money.

The network eventually would crisscross the state, diverting long-distance traffic onto superhighways designed to skirt crowded urban centers.

source

As reported by INPUT (a leading provider of government market intelligence) this is part of an exciting trend to implement "Smart Highways" by using wireless and radio frequency technologies. Exiting because there is an investment opportunity with an expected boost of state & local spending for transportation IT systems from $1.8 billion in FY 2005 to $2.5 billion in FY 2009.

The new highway systems are being touted as a way to give drivers real-time traffic and weather updates but also have "other" applications.

Increased transportation technology investment will center on Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC), the technology expected to support applications for "smart" highway initiatives such as real-time traffic and weather updates to motorists, comprehensive automobile tracking, and universal electronic toll collection.
...

Jurisdictional investments in DSRC and other advanced technologies will continue to generate opportunity in this sector...

An increased number of homeland security initiatives for logistical management, tracking and control also will help bolster the market.

source

According to Alex Jones, California is also contemplating ways to tax drivers to increase revenues.

There is already a "toll only" highway around Toronto. It was built with public funds and then "privatised" (sold to a corporation) who implemented a toll system and anybody can use it.

Cameras take a picture of your license plate (at all on- and off-ramps) and about a week later you get a bill in the mail with a photo of your plate and time stamps. They charge you x per kilometer as well as a service charge for having to identify the vehicle. You can "save" money by getting a transponder to avoid the service fee and pay a little less per kilometer.

But this is a plan to privatise the interstate highway system with complete implementation of universal electronic toll collection and tracking for homeland security.

This goes much further than On-Star tracking (voluntary to a degree) and the occasional toll. It's compulsory and statewide.

Think gasoline is getting expensive? Wait until they start charging you by the mile.

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[edit on 4/5/2005 by Gools]

[edit on 4/5/2005 by Gools]

don't forget that as well as charging you for road use, they could at this point track every citizen's vehicle at any time. they would know exactly where you have gone where you have been and exactly how long you remained somewhere. big brother is watching you.

now after implementing it in one stste it will be found to be helpfull in many regaurds and as such recomended to be expanded to every state. one of the first things that will be usefull is the recovery of stolen cars. wrong car theives are starting to get rid of on-stars tracking capability. this will be much easyer to get rid of. no this is a "nice" way of putting a citizen tracking program in place.

"show me your papers". this is a line from soviet countries in the past. the need to constantly carry your official documants arround to be surrendered to the autorities on command. the failure to carry your pappers could have serious consequences. this is EXACTLY what this transponder is. once installed in cars it would't be that far off to have one implanted in each person as well. the basic technology is already out there provideing a helpfull hand to pet owners and animal controll. you wouldn't be asked to show papers, but you would be monitered at every turn. this would be much worse.

how do you get someone to do something they are against? easy you take small steps and work up to it. this is what this transponder systom is. it is the first step to looseing your freedom. first your car next you. i would try to stop it before it even starts.

some other info on something similar
[url=http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--scoconn-rentalcar0405apr04,0,4441602.story?coll=ny-region-apconnecticut]newsday.com[ /url]

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A New Haven car rental company cannot fine drivers caught speeding by global positioning devices, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday.

In a 5-0 ruling, the high court rejected an appeal by American Car Rental, which operates Acme Rent-A-Car. The company had challenged a Department of Consumer Protection ruling that prohibited the company from levying the fines.

What i really hate is how highways are now getting privatised to make a quick buck for the state

This is distressing news... once again a legislature is passing a bill that will supposedly make everyone more secure and protect them from thievery. But it really won't it is just one more erosion of privacy in the name of security. Wow I feel better and better about paying taxes every day.

Originally posted by Jehosephat

In a 5-0 ruling, the high court rejected an appeal by American Car Rental, which operates Acme Rent-A-Car. The company had challenged a Department of Consumer Protection ruling that prohibited the company from levying the fines.

Little hidden daggars abound in these prospects- have an accident and your insurance company PROVES you were speeding!

Many years back in Florida, I think it was called the Bee Line Expressway but can't remember- when you got on you got a receipt, when you got off the time stamp could get you a ticket!

I don't know how long that lasted.

Kansas has a toll highway from KC westward.

Toll roads are old (European/Asian) and are making a comeback.

NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!

This has many good applications but I believe the cons far outweight the pro's if the police can track you. Whats to say that somebody else cannot????

Ok I can understand putting some sort of electronic tag on the car to say it's in good working order but to have RFID is a bit much and it also invades privacy.

I heard someone say about RFID for people. This a con!!! Why should people be tagged like some cattle on a ranch. Except to keep an eye on dangerous criminals. This is the only way I can see this technology helping other than deterring shoplifters.

I think you Americans really need to start waking up to this and the stupid things that your government is trying to introduce, if you have a transponder you should be able to turn it off! If not then that means you can be tracked and traced anywhere and everywhere. As for toll roads that are owned by corporations. Now I think there is a saying for this....oh yeah "Capitalism" thats it. So now corporate america can now own anything wants just by flashing the cash. I'm sorry but if anything like this was even in the thinking process in the UK I'm pretty sure there would be a very nasty uproar and strong protests against it.

It's not bad enough they control your: Food, water, rent, lights, TV etc. Now they want to watch you everywhere you go even to take a p***. Like I said at the beginning. NO NO NO NO NO.

There is a camera system in the UK that records you at one point then takes pictures of you everytime you pass another camera then the distance is calculated and makes an average speed. If you were speeding you get a bill automatically sent to your house. In all seriousness we do not need this tech BS its one thing to use speed traps in villages and towns where there are children and low speed restrictions but to install speed cameras on a motorway is taking it a bit far. Why not just teach people if they go fast they will die or they may kill others. It would save more money than setting up multi-million £ camera systems and electronic tagging.

Not sure how much good it will do but I wrote to my represenative in Texas and asked him to consider voting against this bill. Well tried to do my part.

perhaps people should start building their own roads (ones that dont cross state lines of course) and sponsoring their own mass transit without the governments help?

why does the same gov that protect you also transport, educate, feed and regulate you? lets split this up already. why cant a board of education be its own government without the fed or state?

This is the problem with modern politics. The building of a superhighway is a good idea, but doesn't sell itself to enough players, so they add in all this monitiring stuff to get more support.

Now this is a monitoring nightmare. The pikepass system is riddled with problems, and now they want to rely upon similiar technology to monitor a whole state populace.

That kind of close oversight isn't neccessary. If someone wants a lojack, they can go get one. It shouldn't be mandatory.

Just another control that can be abused or get fudged up with tech problems.

There are serious privacy implications with the integration of RFID or DSRC technologies in vehicles. I have discussed them frequently on my blog, and my paper, "Privacy and the Design of Vehicle Safety Communication Technologies" can be found here.

I can't believe that this made it through and none of the news networks covered this. As a native Texan, I am absolutely disgusted by this. No one in the entire office knew about this, and they're all furious!

For what it's worth, I sent an email to Fox, ABC, NBC, and NPR requesting that they cover this story. Here's to hoping.

Of course you realize no state would plan such a thing if the rest of the states weren't planning the same technology. What good would this thing be if it only worked in Texas?

Originally posted by thelibra
I can't believe that this made it through and none of the news networks covered this. As a native Texan, I am absolutely disgusted by this. No one in the entire office knew about this, and they're all furious!

For what it's worth, I sent an email to Fox, ABC, NBC, and NPR requesting that they cover this story. Here's to hoping.

That's why people come to ATS, to find what others don't know. Though, in this case it is not a good thing. I am just finding out now about this!

I recommend you to contact your state rep and tell him how you feel and not the networks. For directory assistance: www.capitol.state.tx.us...

I've already done so. It is not too late. I checked the TL website and there is no news on the issue which means it has stalled or is now still waiting to be heard.

I had to pay a $1.90 for not stopping at a toll booth exit outside of Round Rock, Texas last month. I got the notice in the mail after they snap a photo of your license plate.

Found a good article off Stan Deyo's web site by Time Magazine
www.time.com...

You'll enjoy the image

and whats with this highway going to be right by Quetzalcoatl international airport; i just found the symbolism kind of strange...

What will be real fun is when they install readers in police vehicles that can scan your cars tag and receive info regarding our driving habits since the installation of the chip. And based on this they can issue citations after the fact, as they will have proof...just like traffic cams. The technology says you did it, so you did.

Plus, I'd figure that they'll eventually be linked completely to the vehicles control systems, so that they can enforce individual speed governing if your a known speeder. Or, of course if you were to get a DUI they could render your vehicle inoperable for the duration of your suspension. Fun little things like that.

Onstar? Phooey, it's for tourists.