WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission’s Media Bureau is seeking public comment on a Petition for Rulemaking from HC2 Broadcasting Holdings asking it to allow low-power television (LPTV) stations to use the 5G Broadcast transmission standard as an alternative to the currently authorized ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0.
HC2, which owns and operates more than 250 LPTV stations nationwide, filed the request March 28. Filings can be made at MB Docket No. 25-168.
As previously reported, HC2 Broadcasting is asking the FCC to approve the standard for LPTV stations so they could opt to move to an all-datacasting model.
HC2 last year asked the commission to allow two Connecticut LPTVs to conduct experimental 5G Broadcast transmissions. The FCC approved the first experimental 5G Broadcast station—Milachi Media’s WWOO-LD Boston—in 2023. HC2 has been working with XGN Networks, a startup led by CEO “SuperFrank” Copsidas, to allow broadcasters to adopt 5G Broadcast as a voluntary alternative to ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV, which was approved by the FCC in 2017 and is currently available to about 76% of U.S. TV households.
In seeking comment, the FCC noted that 5G Broadcast is a global standard approved by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an international standards-setting organization.
The technology allows an LPTV station to transmit a single 5G signal and be received by any compatible mobile device within its service area. The petition proposes that the 5G Broadcast standard be incorporated into the commission’s rules and authorized on a voluntary basis by LPTV stations. To the extent that an LPTV station may qualify for mandatory carriage, HC2 proposes that such stations would be ineligible for 5G Broadcast operations in order to minimize any potential burdens on MVPDs, the FCC said.
Comments are due June 2, while reply comments are due on July 1.
