WASHINGTON—The NAB has filed additional comments with the Federal Communications Commission stressing the urgency of quickly implementing policies that will speed the transition from ATSC 1.0, the current broadcast standard, to ATSC 3.0 aka NextGen TV.
“ATSC 3.0 is the future of free, local broadcasting, and the Commission has a timely opportunity to move the transition from its current, limited implementation phase to a full, nationwide deployment that serves the public interest,” the group noted in a Jan. 20 filing with the agency, which is in the process evaluating policies and rules that might speed up the transition.
“NAB urges the Commission to adopt a date-certain ATSC 1.0 sunset, modernize its receiver standards so consumers can reliably receive authorized broadcast services, ensure continued MVPD carriage of stations’ primary ATSC 3.0 signals and associated program-related features, and reaffirm a stable approach to content protection that supports broadcasters’ ability to secure and deliver the high-value programming viewers expect while preserving longstanding consumer viewing expectations," the NAB argued.
While the agency has signaled that it wants to liberalize some rules in ways that will speed up the transition, it has not taken a position on two of the key issues raised by the NAB filing, namely a cutoff date for ATSC 1.0 broadcast signals and a requirement that all new TV sets be able to receive 3.0 signals.
The most recent comments by the NAB do not mention a specific cutoff date but in the past, the NAB has argued for a 1.0 sunset in 2028 in larger markets and 2030 for the rest of the country in filings with the FCC.
The NAB also argued that setting a clear, date-certain sunset for ATSC 1.0, would enable industry-wide planning that drives down costs, promotes innovation and avoids confusion for viewers. These tuner mandates are, however, opposed by the Consumer Technology Association.
The NAB also pressed the FCC to ensure continued access to free, over-the-air broadcast signals by updating receiver standards and maintaining MVPD carriage of ATSC 3.0 signals and advanced features.
In addition, It weighed in on content security issues that have provoked opposition from some smaller device manufacturers and broadcasters. TV Tech's recent survey of those issues can be found here.
In the filing the NAB said that special broadcast-only privacy rules are unnecessary and counterproductive: “ATSC 3.0 does not create new privacy concerns for viewers who watch broadcast television over the air without an internet connection,” the group argued. “A one-way broadcast signal, with no return path, cannot collect or transmit viewer information. For these viewers, watching ATSC 3.0 is no different from watching ATSC 1.0 from a privacy standpoint.”
It also argued that the transition to 3.0 would not harm EAS systems and that the transition would open up new ways to better utilize spectrum.
“By strengthening broadcasters’ technical capabilities and economic viability, a successful transition to ATSC 3.0 will help ensure the continued availability of these vital services,” the filing said. “More broadly, ATSC 3.0 provides a more efficient use of spectrum, delivering greater value to the American public from this spectrum resource while also enabling the deployment of complementary positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services via the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS).”
More on BPS can be found here. Our full NextGen TV coverage is available here.
The full filing is available here.
