D.C. Memo: NAB Urges FCC to End NextGen TV Transition In or Before 2030
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NextGen TV: The National Association of Broadcasters today handed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr an industry roadmap to complete within five years the transition to Next Generation TV service, a technology that improves not just picture quality for consumers but allows TV stations to enter the promising datacasting business and pioneer terrestrial Broadcast Positioning System technology.
“The bottom line is simple: Next Gen TV is here, and it is delivering real benefits. But to realize its full promise, the FCC must take decisive action – just as it has in past technological shifts. The time for half-measures is over,” NAB said in a 31-page petition for rulemaking that underscored the complex task ahead for the agency and the nation’s 1,767 full-power TV stations. “Absent exceptional circumstances, it is essential that all of the commercial stations in a market all transition on the same date.”
The trade association for the country’s leading TV station groups, such as Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Inc. – wants the FCC to establish firm deadlines to transition to NextGen TV. The technology upgrade for free TV consumers promises “4K ultra high-definition video, a complementary positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) solution to address critical national security needs, [and] endless datacasting possibilities via the ‘Broadcast Internet,’” NAB said in the petition.
The transition to NextGen TV has been taking place for several years but the NAB, based in Washington, D.C., needs the FCC to embrace a series of steps to bring the transition from the current standard (ATSC 1.0) to the new standard (ATSC 3.0) to a close by relying on hard deadlines. “For the U.S. to fully realize the benefits of ATSC 3.0, the FCC must take swift action to establish a coordinated, industry-wide transition plan. While broadcasters have made significant progress, continued reliance on spectrum-sharing agreements and regulatory and market uncertainties limit the full deployment of Next Gen TV services.” NAB EVP and Chief Legal Officer Rick Kaplan said in the petition.
NAB called for sunsetting ATSC 1.0 in two steps. In phase one, stations in the top 55 markets – which include about 70% of the U.S. population – would transition fully to ATSC 3.0 in February 2028, with limited waivers for smaller or noncommercial stations if necessary. In phase two, the remaining stations would transition in or before February 2030.
“In addition to setting a timeline, this transition requires updates to outdated rules,” NAB said.
In terms of specifics, NAB said the FCC pursuant to the All-Channel Receiver Act of 1961 should require ATSC 3.0 tuners in new TV sets no later than February 2028 – a proposal that might spark controversy with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which been critical of past tuner mandates. NAB also said the FCC might need to adjust its cable TV “must carry” rules because of many technical differences between the two standards related to cable distribution. “Many, if not most, of these questions can be addressed without the need for regulatory involvement,” NAB said.