As RBR+TVBR first reported early Tuesday, the FCC will not move forward with a firm end date for ATSC 1.0 digital broadcast service, allowing stations to decide for themselves when is the right time to end the current way viewers get over-the-air signals.
That, along with other information shared in a “FCC Fact Sheet” on a “Fifth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” outlining what Commissioners plan to vote on come October 28, brought reaction from both the Advanced Television Systems Committee and NEXTGEN TV marketing arm Pearl TV.
ATSC President Madeleine Noland says her association is “encouraged” by the FCC and its plans to review ways that the voluntary transition to ATSC 3.0 could be accelerated.
She touted local broadcast television’s role in providing information to U.S. consumers while taking a moment to promote BPS, the NAB-created GPS redundancy powered by ATSC 3.0.
“While we’re going through the many questions raised by the FCC in its draft document, ATSC believes it’s good that conversations are underway and that the next phase of the transition is about to begin,” Noland said. “While ATSC doesn’t advocate for specific positions, we remain focused on developing and promoting the best possible next-generation broadcast system for the United States and around the world. We are keenly interested in the U.S. transition and stand ready to explain features of the myriad standards that were developed by our membership.”
For Anne Schelle, Managing Director of Pearl TV, her organization and local broadcasters “commend FCC Chairman Carr for launching a new proceeding on NEXTGEN TV that signals to the consumer technology industry, broadcasters, and consumers that the final transition to next-generation broadcasting is underway and that the technology provides an unparalleled opportunity to enhance and improve television service to millions of viewers each day.”
Schelle noted that Pearl helped to write the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard. “Since it was adopted by the FCC in 2017, Pearl has worked with broadcasters to launch service across the country and with the consumer technology industry to develop new features that explore the standard’s capabilities and to get ready for the final transition,” she said. “NEXTGEN TV is coming, and it will transform local broadcasting into a vibrant, interactive service that not only competes with Big Tech streaming platforms but also delivers enhanced emergency alerting, hyper-local warnings, and life-saving public safety information to every community. Local broadcasting remains a trusted, reliable, and free service for millions of viewers every day, and the move to advance transmission and reception technology will help TV become an even more essential to millions of viewers.”
