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 Next Gen TV that urge the agency to require all new TV 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.
