WASHINGTON—In a sign that momentum for setting a firm transition date for NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 may be building, a large group of 91 members of Congress sent a March 27 letter to the Federal Communications Commission highlighting the importance of NextGen TV and the need to set a firm date for the transition.
NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt immediately praised the move in a statement that said the NAB “applauds the 91 members of the U.S. House of Representatives , led by the bipartisan co-chairs of the Congressional Broadcasters Caucus — Reps. Mark Alford (R-MO-04), Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02), Mike Flood (R-NE-01) and Darren Soto (D-FL-09) — for urging the Federal Communications Commission to take the next steps toward advancing the transition to ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV). Their leadership reflects a clear understanding of the immense consumer benefits that a modernized broadcast infrastructure will deliver to communities across the country.”
The FCC has acknowledged the importance of the rollout of the next generation broadcast standard by seeking comment from various players on how it can streamline rules to speed along the transition. While FCC Chair has repeatedly highlighted the importance of NextGen TV but he has not committed publicly to setting a firm date when current ATSC 1.0 signals would sunset.
Article continues belowThe NAB and a wide variety of broadcast groups and larger station owners have urged the FCC to set a cutoff date of 2028 for many markets and 2030 for all markets. But some smaller and mid-sized station groups, many LPTV station owners and the Consumer Technology Association have opposed a government mandated sunset and ATSC 3.0 tuner mandates.
In their March 27 letter, lawmakers highlighted the benefits of ATSC 3.0 in terms of better image quality, advanced emergency alerts, interactivity, hyperlocalized content and the development of a terrestrial alternative to GPS.
“We now urge the Commission to take the next steps to bring this transition to completion and unlock the full range of benefits enabled by the Next Gen TV platform,” the letter noted. “It is of utmost importance that local broadcast stations throughout the country are able to serve our constituents not only with the improved pictures, sounds, and interactive features that Next Gen TV provides, but also with expanded local news capabilities, advanced emergency alerting, and the ability to deliver hyper-localized content that is the fabric of our local communities.”
“Yet while local markets continue to launch, the lack of a firm transition timeline threatens the broad availability of these benefits to rural and urban markets alike and slows market momentum,” the letter warned. “Broadcasters and device manufacturers alike need regulatory certainty to make long-term investments and fully realize the potential of this technology. Manufacturers may hesitate to scale device production while consumer demand for Next Gen remains limited, yet broadcasters cannot spark that demand until they regain access to their full channel capacity and can showcase the full capabilities of ATSC 3.0.”
“By establishing a clear path forward, the Commission can help overcome these natural market hesitations and ensure that free, over-the-air television continues to thrive and evolve to meet viewers’ needs, rather than risk gradual erosion through inaction,” the letter concluded. “A clear signal from the FCC that the transition is moving forward will unlock greater manufacturer investment in the consumer device marketplace – a win-win that fosters competition and ensures that viewers benefit from a vibrant marketplace of affordable, Next Gen TV-ready products. A firm transition date would catalyze the entire ecosystem, focusing technical development, accelerating deployment, and creating a predictable path forward.”
The full letter and a list of signatories can be found here.
