US Needs to Be at 'Forefront' of Broadcast Innovation, Says FCC's Pai of ATSC 3.0

ATSC 3.0 "would be the first standard to marry the advantages of broadcasting and the Internet," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai blogged Thursday, confirming he will put the order authorizing deployment of the next-generation TV system up for a vote at commissioners' Nov. 16 meeting. ATSC 3.0 "holds the promise of delivering better video and audio, advanced emergency alerts, improved accessibility features, personalized and interactive content, and mobile television reception to American consumers," said Pai. The vote is "whether to allow television broadcasters to use Next Gen TV on a voluntary, market-driven basis," he said. "I want America to be at the forefront of innovation in the broadcast sector, the wireless sector, and every other sector of the communications industry." The FCC's release of a draft 3.0 was viewed as imminent at our Thursday deadline. Pay-TV providers are concerned about how the FCC’s proposed 3.0 order (see 1710250049 or 1710250052) will treat the expected simulcasting requirement and handle retransmission consent negotiations, said officials from the American TV Alliance on a media call Thursday. “The devil will be in the details,” said Harris Wiltshire attorney Michael Nilsson, who represents ATVA. Without restrictions on simulcasting to show the same programming or serve the same contour area, broadcasters could leave neighborhoods without 1.0, or show such viewers a shopping network while the Super Bowl airs on 3.0, Nilsson said. MVPDs are concerned that without restrictions on how 3.0 plays into retrans negotiations, broadcasters could require MVPDs agree to transmit 3.0 signals before stations are sure how they will use the signal, Nilsson said. Such restrictions would also protect consumers, said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Project at the New America Foundation. The transition could leave consumers without service, and since the standard isn’t backward compatible, they could face costs of upgrading TVs, Calabrese said. The switch also could cost federal, state and local governments, said Ross Marchand of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. Governments own thousands of sets, and the move would mean they need to upgrade that equipment, Marchand said.