WASHINGTON—The NextGen TV transition could be “stranded indefinitely in a regime of regulatory uncertainty and half-measures” without 3.0 tuner mandates, must carry provisions and a sunset date for 1.0 broadcasts, the NAB has told the Federal Communications Commission.

The reply comments by the NAB were made in an ongoing proceeding by the FCC to assess and develop a regulatory framework for the rollout of NextGen TV. That proceeding has produced wide ranging arguments about tuner mandates, must carry provisions, digital rights management and sunset dates for the current ATSC 1.0 broadcasts.

“The record developed here confirms that the Commission’s central task is no longer to debate whether NextGen TV is worth pursuing – stakeholders across the ecosystem recognize that it is – but to decide whether the transition will be allowed to succeed through an orderly, coordinated framework, or instead be stranded indefinitely in a regime of regulatory uncertainty and half-measures, all to the detriment of the viewing public,” the NAB said.

The creation of an “orderly, coordinated framework,” the group added, will require four “core actions” that the FCC needs to adopt if the transition is going to be successful and provide consumers with continued access to free, over-the-air broadcasting.

The four areas are: “(1) establish clear, date-certain sunsets for ATSC 1.0 that provide the focal point necessary for marketplace coordination; (2) modernize the receiver standard so consumers can continue to access broadcast service reliably and consistently as the transition proceeds; (3) ensure continued MVPD carriage of ATSC 3.0 signals and associated advanced features so viewers are not deprived of NextGen TV capabilities through distribution bottlenecks; and (4) protect broadcasters’ ability to deliver high-value programming in a video marketplace where content protection and modern technical capabilities are increasingly prerequisites to obtaining and sustaining premium content.”

The NAB also stressed that “the record also makes plain that the Commission has broad support for taking these steps now. Broadcasters, technology providers, and public-interest stakeholders converge on a simple reality: a voluntary framework has reached the limits of what it can accomplish, and further progress depends on regulatory certainty and coordinated action.”

“Against that record of support, opponents’ submissions are notable for what they do not provide: a workable alternative path to completing the transition,” the NAB added. “Instead, the principal opponents offer a familiar mix of classic delay advocacy: resisting receiver modernization, resisting regulatory certainty, resisting any step that would move the transition from pilot to scale, all while recasting the Further Notice as a forum for collateral disputes and speculative anxieties. In short, these opponents reject any modernization that would impose even minimal effort or adjustment on their part. That is not a serious transition plan. In reality, it is an effort to keep free, over-the-air broadcasting tethered to legacy constraints while other segments of the video marketplace move forward unencumbered and without having to worry about broadcasting as a viable competitor.”

“[T]he Commission should establish a firm sunset for ATSC 1.0, eliminate the regulatory constraints that indefinitely prolong simulcasting and “substantially similar” operation, and modernize the receiver framework so that consumers can continue to access free, over-the-air broadcasting reliably as the transition proceeds,” the NAB concluded. “The Commission should also reject efforts to derail this proceeding with collateral disputes and overstated legal theories that offer no workable alternative transition plan.”

The full filing is available here.

WASHINGTON—The National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) has filed formal comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding the nationwide transition to ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV that urge the agency to require all new TVs be able to receive 3.0 broadcast signals and reaffirm must-carry provisions for NextGen TV broadcasts.

Tuner requirements and must-carry provisions are also supported by the NAB and major broadcast station groups. But groups representing cable companies and telcos have attacked the must-carry provisions and the Consumer Technology Association has strongly condemned tuner mandates as a measure that would increase the price of TV sets.

In its filing, the NRB stressed that the move to ATSC 3.0 marks one of the most significant technological upgrades for broadcast television in decades, promising improved picture and audio quality, enhanced emergency alerting, and new service capabilities that could deepen local engagement.

NRB told the FCC that it supports the continued deployment of this technology, calling it “the future of broadcasting.”

NRB also came out strongly against filings by NCTA and other telecommunications groups opposing must-carry requirements for 3.0 broadcasts. It urged the FCC to reaffirm the application of must-carry protections to ATSC 3.0. In addition it said the agency needed to establish a tuner requirement and to ensure a fair transition process for mission-driven stations.

“There is no statutory basis for concluding that the congressionally-established must carry rules change when cable television undergoes a technical upgrade,” the NRB argued. In addition, “the FCC does not have the authority to rule that an act of Congress is unconstitutional, especially when the Supreme Court has ruled on the very question raised.”

It also stressed that for many Christian broadcasters, must-carry is essential to sustaining long-term community outreach. Federal law requires cable operators to carry local commercial and noncommercial educational stations, and that obligation does not change simply because of an advancement in transmission technology.

NRB’s comments also noted that ATSC 3.0 is not backward compatible, meaning that viewers without the right equipment would not be able to receive the upgraded signal and argued that without a clear tuner requirement, some households could lose access to programming during the transition process.

Finally, NRB called for a structured and reasonable transition to ATSC 3.0, one that reflects the realities facing smaller, noncommercial, and ministry-focused stations. Too rigid of a transition, it said, may not provide the flexibility smaller stations need in order to comply with FCC requirements in a timely manner.

To this end, NRB encouraged the FCC to adopt a transition timeline that creates a predictable path to end the indefinite simulcasting burden, while providing flexibility for small and low-power stations.

The full NRB filing, which is undated but was announced by the NRB on Feb. 17 is available here.

The president of the Consumer Technology Association is criticizing a proposal from the National Association of Broadcasters to have the FCC mandate that TV sets sold in the U.S. support ATSC 3.0 (aka “NextGen TV”).

In a petition submitted to the FCC this week, NAB is asking the commission to sunset the current U.S. DTV standard—ATSC 1.0 by 2030, paving the way for further adoption of NextGen TV, which is now available within reach of 75% of U.S. households. As part of the proposal the association is asking the commission to mandate the inclusion of tuners that support over the air reception of NextGen TV.

Unlike the first transition to DTV 25 years ago, the transition to 3.0 is voluntary in scope. Like the DTV transition though, the same organization, (then called the “Consumer Electronics Association”), vehemently opposed a mandate, which was eventually approved by Congress. Congress also created a program to provide discounts on low-cost analog-to-digital converters. The campaign was successful enough that the June 2009 analog shutoff registered fewer consumer complaints than feared.

Currently, certain TV sets from Sony, Samsung, TCL, Panasonic, RCA and Hisense and a small but growing variety of dongles and boxes from companies like Atlanta DTH support NextGen TV.

Pearl TV, an advocacy group for ATSC 3.0, estimated that more than 14 million NextGen TV capable devices will have shipped by the end of 2024. The Consumer Technology Association estimates that 120 million NextGen TV sets were sold by 2024. The ATSC says that more than 100 NextGen TV-capable products will be available to consumers in 2025.

CTA President Gary Shapiro, who led the opposition to the mandate the first time around, issued the following statement on Linkedin:

“The National Association of Broadcasters is at it again—first pushing to mandate FM chips in phones, then misleading policymakers about AM radio, and now forcing NEXTGEN TV onto every consumer and manufacturer. This is a product that costs more and consumers have not embraced. This will impose a large percentage increase in costs at a time when the TV set has proved to be the rare deflationary product.

The simple fact is fewer than 10% of Americans rely on antennas for TV viewing. These proposed mandates only add unnecessary costs at a time when affordability is top of mind for American families.

Rather than innovating, broadcasters are lobbying for regulations to prop up their failing business model. It’s also a stark reminder of why they should not be allowed to consolidate and control markets. If their technology had real value, they wouldn’t need government mandates to sustain it.

This administration has made cutting red tape a priority, yet here in 2025, broadcasters are pushing for new regulation to benefit themselves at the expense of competition and consumer choice. What’s next—a mandate for 3D TVs? Instead of working to modernize their industry, NAB is doubling down on outdated policies that stifle innovation.

The Consumer Technology Association remains focused on delivering real value and choice to consumers, not propping up failing business models through regulation.

Broadcasters would be better off paying musicians the royalties they deserve and spend less energy and time trying to restrict technology companies who are better at supporting our economy, innovation, and jobs and reaching consumers on a targeted basis with advertising."

NOTE: In 2017, CTA and NAB jointly opposed an ATSC 3.0/NEXTGEN TV tuner mandate emphasizing that any transition should be voluntary, calling it “counterproductive and unnecessary.”

WASHINGTON—Next generation television is garnering a lot of attention, but one area that the National Association of Broadcasters does not understand getting attention is an alleged tuner mandate. NAB has issued an ex parte communication to the FCC saying that it and its fellow petitioners have not sought a tuner mandate for the Next Gen TV standard for either fixed or mobile devices.

Despite this, NAB says that six different parties representing wireless interests have come out and publicly opposed such an idea. The parties include Motorola Mobility; T-Mobile USA, Inc.; Ericsson; Nokia; Ethertronics, Inc.; and Qualcomm Incorporated.

“In light of the fact that NAB has never sought or suggested a tuner mandate, it is curious that some key players in the wireless industry display such great fear over the potential of increased competition for mobile video delivery,” wrote Patrick McFadden, NAB’s associate general counsel in the ex parte. “Why else would this list of companies fear a ghost? If anything, the Commission should recognize that this advocacy demonstrates the potential of Next Gen TV to create real competition in the marketplace. Indeed, it may be one of the strongest arguments for moving forward to approve the use of Next Gen TV as quickly as possible.”

The ex parte communications was sent to FCC Secretary Marlene H. Dortch.

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.