So much for that voluntarily go-as-you-wish shift from the current ATSC 1.0 digital standard to the NEXTGEN TV-fueled ATSC 3.0 standard being rolled out across the country. The association representing the nation’s biggest broadcast TV station owners wants a full shift to ATSC 3.0 in five years.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) on Wednesday filed a petition with the FCC that urges the agency led by Chairman Brendan Carr to establish “a clear, industry-wide transition plan” for the full deployment of the ATSC 3.0 digital broadcast TV standard.
Doing so would not only bring crisper images and improved sound to consumers with ATSC 3.0-capable TV sets or add-on equipment bringing those signals to older TVs, but also open the doors much sooner to broadcast data revenue and ATSC 3.0-powered services the broadcast television industry says are game-changing NTR tools.
The NAB’s proposal outlines a two-phased transition while “modernizing” regulatory requirements to support consumer access and innovation.
In prepared comments, NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt said, “NEXTGEN TV is already transforming the viewing experience … Broadcasters have invested significantly in this transition, but outdated regulations threaten to stall progress. A clear transition plan will ensure every American benefits from the full potential of NEXTGEN TV while also allowing broadcasters to remain competitive in a media marketplace where ‘Big Tech’ operates unchecked.”
Under the plan, stations in the top 55 markets, representing 70% of the U.S. population, would transition to ATSC 3.0 by February 2028 — establishing a firm sunset date for ATSC 1.0 transmission.
All remaining full-power and Class A stations would follow in or before February 2030.
The petition also calls for updates to FCC rules to ensure television reception devices support NEXTGEN TV, maintain existing MVPD carriage obligations and eliminate regulatory hurdles that could slow adoption.
Cable television services and digital broadcast satellite operators DirecTV and Dish could balk at the NAB plan, as bringing NEXTGEN TV stations to subscribers is likely a difficult topic of discussion. First, would a MVPD have to offer both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 signals until that ultimate deadline of February 2028 or February 2030? Second, what about digital MVPD services such as Hulu + Live TV or YouTube TV?
There’s also the touchy subject of NEXTGEN TV coming a quarter-century too late for some industry observers who argue that consumers are rapidly shifting their viewing consumption to streaming platforms. As such, digital delivery of programming over a solid broadband internet connection may be more important than getting an improved distribution system for a broadcast TV station they don’t view.
As of today, NEXTGEN TV is available in more than 80 markets, reaching 75% of U.S. households. However, the everyday consumer may easily confuse NEXTGEN TV with UHD 4k technology. Retailers frequented by RBR+TVBR in recent years regularly yield sales associates unfamiliar with NEXTGEN TV and are unclear as to which receivers, if any, they sell are capable of receiving the ATSC 3.0-powered signals.
Despite this, marketing group Pearl TV and its leader, Anne Schelle, remain positive in their assessment that NEXTGEN TV is growing, and that consumers are purchasing equipment or sets capable of getting ATSC 3.0-powered stations.
Now, the NAB is taking a stand, as it also seeks to win users of its own Broadcast Positioning System — powered by ATSC 3.0 technology and positioned as a “resilient, complimentary service to GPS.”
In a blog post shared by the association earlier this month, Sam Metheny, the NAB‘s Executive VP and Chief Technology Officer since 2014, spoke of the “fragility” of the satellite-based global positioning system, one that Diamond Consulting principal Patrick Diamond says has no backup.
“By leveraging the robust infrastructure of local television stations, BPS provides reliable timing and positioning signals while remaining compatible with other broadcast services,” Metheny wrote while quoting Dr. Jeff Sherman, a supervisory physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), about GPS vulnerabilities and the challenges associated with global navigation satellite systems reliance.
For Metheny and the NAB, BPS “allows us to expand that service by addressing the vulnerabilities of GPS and providing a ‘before the fact’ solution to prevent disruptions. When I think about the words of Dr. Brad Parkinson, the inventor of GPS, who said that people often don’t realize how much critical infrastructure relies on GPS timing, I see an incredible opportunity for broadcasters to step up. With BPS, we’re not just reacting to emergencies – we’re helping to prevent them.”
