‘Enhanced’ Public Safety Perks to Abound With ATSC 3.0, APTS Tells Rosenworcel

“Enhanced” public safety benefits will abound with ATSC 3.0, top America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) officials told FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel in Monday meetings, said an ex parte letter posted Wednesday in docket 16-142. The public safety services that APTS stations provide now to first responders, and in alert and warning, “will increase and expand” with 3.0, said the officials, including CEO Patrick Butler and Chief Operating Officer Lonna Thompson. “ATSC 3.0 will allow the ability to ‘wake up’ receiver devices when emergency alerts are transmitted overnight and will improve accessibility measures” for hearing- and visually-impaired viewers, they said. The FCC voted Nov. 16 to authorize the voluntary deployment of 3.0 over the dissents of Rosenworcel and her fellow Democrat Mignon Clyburn (see 1711160060). There’s “a lot to be excited” about with 3.0, including Ultra HD picture quality, immersive audio, advanced emergency alerts and “innovative interactive services,” said Rosenworcel in her Nov. 16 dissenting statement. “But what we do today is rush this standard to market with an ugly disregard for the consumer consequences.” The Advanced Warning and Response Network (AWARN) Alliance hopes by 2019 to have in place a “beta solution” for 3.0-capable emergency alerts, said alliance Executive Director John Lawson (see 1711200023). APTS and the AWARN Alliance were petitioners with CTA and NAB in April 2016 to ask the FCC to launch the 3.0 rulemaking (see 1604130065).