The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) yesterday filed a Petition for Rulemaking asking the FCC to establish a “clear timeline” to complete the transition to the ATSC 3.0 (a/k/a “NextGen TV”) television transmission standard. The Petition follows last week’s NAB ex parte meeting with Chairman Carr and Acting Chief of the Media Bureau, Erin Boone, in which it advocated for a comprehensive industry-wide plan to expedite completion of the transition (along with measures to modernize and/or eliminate local and national broadcast ownership restrictions and reopen the long-dormant vMVPD proceeding).
The Petition for Rulemaking calls for a 2-phase approach to ending ATSC 1.0 transmissions and fully transitioning to the NextGen TV standard. Phase 1 would require stations in the top 55 markets (representing approximately 70% of the U.S. population) to transition to ATSC 3.0 by February 2028, with limited waivers for small or noncommercial stations if necessary. Phase 2 would require stations in the remaining markets to transition to ATSC 3.0 by February 2030.
In support of this transition plan, the Petition highlights a number of NextGen TV consumer benefits, including:
- Improving the viewer experience with 4K ultra high-definition video, interactive broadcast apps, a high dynamic range picture, and improved audio with dialog enhancement to make programming more accessible;
- Making available for the first time the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), a new technology that leverages NextGen TV to transmit precise timing signals to address critical positioning, navigation and timing needs that is less vulnerable to jamming, spoofing, and cyberattacks than GPS, ensuring that critical systems remain operational during GPS disruptions.
- Unlocking the “Broadcast Internet,” which can be used to relieve content delivery network congestion for high-demand streaming programming, deliver time-sensitive information to first responders in heavy crowd situations where mobile networks are overloaded, expand distance learning and telehealth accessibility, and enable many other datacasting applications;
- Disseminating advanced emergency information during natural disasters and other emergencies; and
- Ensuring continued public access to popular content, as the ability to offer 4K high dynamic range transmissions of sporting events may determine whether these events will remain available free over the air or will migrate to pay services that deliver a higher quality experience than the current ATSC 1.0 standard permits.
The Petition emphasizes that while broadcasters have made significant progress in rolling out NextGen TV over the past few years, a complete and coordinated transition will be necessary to take full advantage of NextGen TV’s capabilities and avoid trade-offs in picture quality and signal robustness that current capacity constraints impose when broadcasters are required to transmit duplicative signals in both ATSC 1.0 and 3.0.
In the Petition, NAB notes that other rule modifications will be necessary to complete the transition, including updating the broadcast television transmission standards set forth in Section 73.682 of the FCC’s Rules, modifying the DTV tuner rule to ensure all television sets have NextGen TV tuners, and updating to the extent necessary the FCC’s rules on MVPD carriage of broadcast TV signals. The Petition also seeks clarification or updates to certain rules to facilitate NextGen TV deployment, including those relating to station hosting arrangements and coverage requirements.
To facilitate the transition, the Petition also asks the FCC to eliminate the “substantially similar” simulcast requirement prior to its current July 17, 2027 sunset date to enable and encourage broadcasters “to develop unique ATSC 3.0 content” and thereby “create a virtuous cycle: higher consumer adoption will incentivize manufacturers to produce more affordable ATSC 3.0-compatible equipment, further expanding access for consumers, and thus driving broader industry investment in Next Gen TV.”
The question now is whether and when the Commission might launch a rulemaking to address these proposals. Notably, Chairman Carr has signaled his support for setting a date certain for a successful transition to NextGen TV. Any such rulemaking would be subject to public comment and possibly White House review following the February 18, 2025 Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies Executive Order. With ATSC 1.0 increasingly showing its age in a rapidly evolving competitive landscape, many broadcasters are looking forward to putting the transition to NextGen TV behind them.