As broadcasters focus their future on ATSC 3.0, one organization in particular is reminding the industry of the importance of maintaining the current ATSC 1.0 infrastructure during the transition.

The National Translator Association, the leading advocate for TV and FM translator systems in the U.S., is holding its annual meeting just up the road from where the industry gathered last week in Las Vegas. During the event, taking place May 6-9 in Reno, Nev. broadcast engineers, regulators and manufacturers will discuss the latest developments and regulatory updates affecting the maintenance of the thousands of translators that ensure reliable transmission for over the air radio and TV broadcast.

'A Mixed World'
One panel, in particular will focus on how broadcasters with the challenges faced during the transition when stations that have deployed ATSC 3.0 also have to maintain their 1.0 signal. Kyle Walker, vice president of technology for Wiegel Broadcasting, will moderate “A Mixed World Of ATSC 3.0 And 1.0,” and will be joined by Mark Colombo, associate division chief of the FCC’s Video Division, Wayne Johnson with Southwest Colorado TV, Mike Schmidt with Heartland Video Systems and long-time TV Tech columnist Doug Lung, vice president of broadcast technology with NBC/Telemundo.

Walker says the panel plans to discuss new techniques and best practices for optimizing translator health in the current hybrid 1.0-3.0 configuration.

“We’re going to talk about maximizing 1.0’s full potential today,” he said, adding that representatives from Harmonic and Heartland Video Systems will be on hand to discuss new developments in encoding.

“Heartland Video, along with Harmonic are going to be showing some different techniques that you can do in 1.0 today that a lot of stations may not be aware of or taking advantage of, and not really just translators, but even full power major group stations," he said.

Walker says he’s eager to see what the companies are doing to “push the 1.0 envelope."

“We are also talking about a potential mixed world of 1.0 and 3.0, and it's not clear at this point that there's going to be a 1.0 sunset,” Walker added. “So what does it look like for broadcasters and translator operators in a mixed 1.0 and 3.0 world and some of the complications that go with that?”

In the session “Building A Reliable, Cost-Effective SRT Network,” Walker will expound on secure reliable transport, open-source video transport protocol developed by Haivision to move high-quality video over unpredictable networks like the public internet, and its increasing importance to broadcasters.

“SRT is starting to be used more and more today by a lot of broadcasters and even major cable providers as a cost effective, effective alternative to traditional dark fibers or dedicated circuits,” Walker said. “One of the challenges we see—from Weigel’s point of view dealing with different affiliates of all makes and models, not just LPTVs, but even some major groups where they have an SRT that's set up— is that they may have video coming out the other end, but the link is not really that resilient. And what we hope to break out in this presentation is to show stations how to build a cost-effective, redundant SRT system that actually has monitoring that an end user would know and understand.

“The ultimate goal is to make an SRT circuit as just as reliable as fiber,” he added.

The Importance of Communication
Walker said the convention will also focus on the challenges imposed by the complex logistics and fragmented management of of today’s translator environment, particularly in western states like Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

“The state of Colorado has two DMAs, Colorado Springs and Denver, with Denver being the vast majority of the state... in Salt Lake City, the entire state of Utah, parts of Idaho, parts of Nevada, make up one DMA,” he said. “And there's no way that a full power station, even on top of a mountain, can even cover 20% of that vast geographical area.

“So they have translators throughout the state, and the challenge with those translators is that in many cases, they're not run by the stations themselves. A lot of times, they're being run by local county government agencies that, like everybody, are on a budget,” he added.

Walker says coordination between station groups, affiliates and regulators is key when it comes to transitioning from 1.0 to 3.0, using a station’s decision to become a lighthouse station to host the transmission facilities of other stations in the same area as an example of the challenges broadcasters face.

When that station decides to flip to a lighthouse (being a 3.0), that station might today be a CBS affiliate in 1.0 currently that's being distributed—in a lot of cases—to 70-80 different translators throughout the DMA, of which most of them they don't even control, Walker added.

“Now imagine a station suddenly decides to convert from 1.0 to 3.0... in many cases, these translator groups have no idea this change is coming down the pipe. And in a lot of cases, that is known once the change has been made,” he said. “So suddenly you have viewers out there that are saying, ‘wait, what happened? Why is my CBS gone?’”

Walker continued, “the government that maintains a portion of those translators is now scrambling to figure out, OK, now they figured out that station converted to 3.0, what do they do? They don't necessarily have $10,000 to buy a converter box for every translator to adapt it back to 1.0. So we're going to talk about the different mechanisms that can be done to better mitigate and manage if a station chooses to make a switch or build a lighthouse so that there's not disruption all the way down the food chain.”

Heartland Video Systems, a leading midwest-based systems integrator and one of the sponsors of the NTA Convention, will participate in several panels, discussing the challenges broadcasters face in deploying ATSC 3.0 including preparations stations should take in the event of a large transition to ATSC 3.0. Mike Schmidt, ATSC 3.0 technologist at HVS, and Gil Yanku, senior director, pre-sales & solutions architecture at Harmonic, will also talk about ways broadcasters can increase ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 channel counts.

“With Heartland Video Systems having taken part in almost every ATSC 3.0 market transition in the U.S, we have learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t,” said Schmidt. “I’m looking forward to being able to share some of that experience and knowledge.

“We are currently testing channel loading in our lab at HVS and have found some very surprising results,” he added. “Increased channel loading will be even more important in a post transition world, so this is an exciting and timely topic.”

Additional topics will cover regulatory issues as well as an update on the Broadcast Positioning System from Bob Weller, vice president of spectrum policy for the NAB.

For more information and to register, visit the NTA Convention website.

WASHINGTON—The National Translator Association has come out against the recent FCC proposal to expand Distributed Transmission Systems (DTS), saying that it would cause significant interference to hundreds of stations.

The NTA comments were filed on June 12 in response to the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would allow for new and expanded uses of DTS. A number of organizations, including the NAB and APTS, have supported the NPRM, saying that it would help with the deployment of ATSC 3.0 and enhance “localism,” particularly in more remote areas.

NTA, however, believes that translators and low power TV stations are already qualified to handle these tasks.

“Translators and LPTV stations already cover Rural America, so it is easy for us to just add a station to deliver “Next Gen” signals, providing the coverage contours are adjusted to meet needs and that no interference is generated from full power DTS stations seeking to ‘bend’ beyond their contour impacting Class A, translator and LPTV stations,” said John Terrill, NTA president.

NTA says that proponents of DTS have acknowledged that interference would be a result of the move and that it would be “dramatic” and “unavoidable” for the development of next-gen television.

NTA countered with three key points:

• NTA cannot think of any justification for one station interfering with another outside of its service contour, especially if it is importing programming intended for markets over 121 kilometers distant. 
• The impact signals would most likely be a competitor’s signal. 
• The proposal is not clear as to where the standards bend. If it is in a crowded major market such as Los Angeles, Denver or Salt Lake City, where terrain plays a major part in coverage, the impact on the public living in the mountains can be significant. 

An alternative proposed by the NTA is that a DTS station file with the FCC for a next-gen very lower power translator or another open frequency, “with injury toward none.”

In addition, NTA proposes a new filing window for a “Next Gen” station to be added to the market, what it calls an easy and low cost fix using present transmission sites, providing more rural internet service and fix remaining repack problems.

The complete comments can be found on the FCC’s ECFS. 

WASHINGTON—The National Translator Association joined its colleagues from the LPTV Coalition in praising the recent decision to open a 60-day filing window for TV translator and LPTV stations to apply for reimbursement for TV spectrum repack-related expenses.

“We are delighted to see the FCC begin the process of reimbursement for low power translators, LPTV and FM stations,” said John Terrill, president of the NTA.

TV Translators will now have until Oct. 15 to file for reimbursement, for which Congress had set aside $150 million. Terrill urges translators to file as early as possible.

Terrill notes that the NTA’s “Fast-Track” plan had some influence in the reimbursement process, saying that it allows “stations that have had to move and have purchased equipment and built their stations to skip the bid process and simply use paid invoices in requesting reimbursement.”

Additional information on the filing process is available on the NTA website.

For more news and insight on the repack, visit TV Technology'srepack silo.

RENO, Nev.—The National Translator Association is planning on tackling key issues regarding things like ATSC 3.0, the repack, reimbursement and more when it hosts the 2019 NTA Convention in Reno, Nev., from May 9-11.

“It’s our biggest ever hands-on convention covering: Live ATSC 3.0, to reimbursement, to repack, to white space, to antennas, microwaves, towers, interference; this exciting lineup is news you can use,” said John Terrill, NTA president.

Things will kick off on Thursday, May 9, with a hands-on ATSC 3.0 broadcast from Joel Wilhite, senior systems design engineer with Harmonic. Working with representatives from GatesAir, the demonstration will take a closer look at just what ATSC 3.0 is and how it works. The demonstration is set for 1-4 p.m.

On Friday, Hossein Hashemzadeh, deputy chief of the video division, and Jean Kiddo, chair, from the Incentive Auction Task Force will give an overview of the displacement process and government reimbursement program. Hossein will follow that up with a presentation on Saturday that updates attendees on ATSC 3.0 and eligibility in the first and second displacement windows.

Additional speakers set for the convention include Robert Weller, vice president for spectrum policy with the NAB, with an industry update; Rob Gates, FCC Audio Division’s supervisory engineer, talking about the FM window for AM-FM and single frequency networks; AT&T’s Jim Hollister, principal-RAN engineer, and Gordon Beattie, network cloud infrastructure, will demonstrate how to locate low level incoming interference; and Martin Doczkat and Mark Colombo from OET will present TV study updates and input signal database and research tips and tricks. Other topics expected to be covered range from vertical polarization and next-generation antennas to microwave design, IP remote control and tower structure standards.

“We are the folks who bring TV into rural America. And this is a family type, one-on-one convention,” said Terrill. “We are broadcasting of, for and by the people, doesn’t get any more basic than that.”

The 2019 NTA Convention takes place at the Silver Legacy Convention Center in Reno from May 9-11. Registration information is available at nta.tv.

WASHINGTON—The National Translator Association today filed comments with the FCC asking the agency to adopt a “Fast Track” approach and streamlined application process for repack expenses and limit reimbursement to no more than $31,000 per station.

Placing the dollar limit on stations qualifying for the proposed expedited process will allow “many administrative practices” currently in use to be simplified, NTA said. Simplification can be achieved because “market prices for re-fitting are competitive.”

NTA suggested the Fast Track process as a way to preserve TV translator delivery of OTA television, especially for viewers in areas with no alternative who, the filing said, “stand to lose all television service if TV translator service is impaired or terminated.”

The process would also protect low-power television stations that frequently serve urban niches and isolated rural areas, it said.

The filing offered a summary of the Fast Track proposal. Highlights include: stations opting to use the fast-track agree to limiting expense reimbursement to no more than $31,000 per station; collection of 100 percent of reimbursable costs once they are documented with paid invoices; no submission of preliminary proposals or cost estimates from stations; and applicability to stations that already are displaced, have bought equipment and continue to serve the public on new channels.

When construction is completed, participating stations would then submit a one-page form along with paid receipts not totaling more than $31,000, the filing said.

NTA chose the dollar limit because it will cover the relocation expenses of most translator stations required to change channels, it said. The filing indicates that the Fast Track approach will cost the government far less than what has been estimated for relocation in FY 2018.

Specifically, based on the commission’s own numbers, 2,159 applications were made to change channels during the window, and 340 more were filed prior to the window that are considered to be eligible. “At $31,000 apiece, this would total $77,469,000 or a little over half of the $150 million set aside,” the filing said.

The Fast Track program will meet the needs of small translators strapped for personnel and resources, said John Terrill, NTA president.

“Salt Lake City stations are repacked now, rebroadcast by almost 800 stations in five states,” he said. “These typical small stations do not have large budgets, not many options and a small staff to plan, build and request reimbursement, so this is tailored to small station needs.”

WASHINGTON — NAB and the National Translator Association separately this week filed comments with the FCC stating their objection to allowing wireless services to share or use C Band satellite spectrum.

NAB told the agency that the 3.7–4.2 GHz band is widely used to distribute television and radio content to broadcasters. “Virtually every U.S. television and radio household relies on C Band satellite operations for content distribution in some manner,” NAB said.

Thousands of MVPDs, more than 1,000 TV stations, OTT service providers and radio stations rely on C Band. National Public Radio uses C Band for reliable distribution of content to 475 public radio earth stations, a critical link in the distribution chain of content to 42 million Americans every week, NAB said.

NAB also told the FCC that practical alternatives to C Band, such as fiber, “are significantly overstated.” Often alternatives aren’t available, and in areas where fiber is present “it may not be economically viable,” NAB said.

The FCC should not assume that technical solutions will be created that makes sharing the spectrum possible, the association said. “NAB reiterates that, as a practical matter, this means the commission should acknowledge that terrestrial users cannot share C Band frequencies based on geographic separation alone,” it said.

[Read: More Broadcasters Weigh in on C Band Sharing]

NAB pointed out that C Band facilities are highly sensitive to enable signal reception from an orbiting signal source more than 22,000 miles over head. As such, they are quite vulnerable to terrestrial interference. The association also told the FCC that it should reject any proposal to do away with or constrain its full-band, full-arc earth station licensing policy.

In its comments, the National Translator Association pointed out the FCC has asked a question in its public notice that cannot be answered. “It asks: ‘How should we assess the operations and possible impacts of sharing on Federal and non-Federal users already operating in this band?’” NTA quotes the public notice as saying. The FCC has made registration of domestic receive-only C Band terminals optional since a 1979 deregulation. “No one knows how many private, public, commercial or noncommercial R/O users there are here,” NTA said.

While the FCC has set up a way to register R/O C-band users recently, it “is obvious that more users are out there — many more — than are aware of the registration deadline or are willing and able to pay the [registration] fee,” NTA said.

As a result, if new users are allowed into the C Band, it is certain only registered users will be protected and “many other existing users will be harmed, and some will be driven out of business,” it said. Many LPTV and translator stations will face an added problem because they are required to migrate to new terrestrial channels as part of the TV spectrum repack. Many will need to geographically relocate, which means “affected parties cannot file [C Band receive site registration] now to protect facilities that they do not yet know will be needed.”

NTA urged the agency “to start over” and “determine that all C Band dishes serving existing TV or radio distribution as of a certain date — whether registered or not — shall be automatically protected against harmful interference from subsequent arriving users.”

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SALT LAKE CITY—Representatives from the FCC, NAB and OET will discuss the latest developments on how the television channel repack is impacting rural communities and OTA broadcasters, including translators and LPTV stations at the National Translator Association's annual convention, May 4-6. 

“Americans should know that their free TV is being altered starting now and continuing across the country for three years,” National Translator Association President John Terrill said in an announcement about the association’s convention.

At this year’s event, Federal Communications Commission Deputy Chief Video Division Hossein Hashemzadeh will address ways “to help translators and LPTV stations that have been forced to change to frequencies find a way to continue to serve their local communities.”

[Read: How Could The T-Mobile/Sprint Merger Affect The TV Repack?]

Hashemzadeh will be joined on Satuday by OET Technical Analysis Branch Chief Martin Doczkat and OET’s Mark Colombo to review how to file for a new channel for translators.

Additionally, National Association of Broadcasters Vice President of Spectrum Policy Robert Weller will review the government’s policies on reimbursement for displaced stations, and FCC Audio Division Assistant Chief Robert Gates will provide an update on the future of FM translators.

For comprehensive news and information on the repack, visit TV Technology's repack silo.