Starks Concerned About FCC Diversity Information, ATSC 3.0 Data Privacy

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks’ chief concerns with the shift to ATSC 3.0 are the data privacy and security implications, he told the NAB joint board annual meeting Monday. NEXTGEN TV’s features rely on consumer data collected by broadcasters and device makers, he said. “How will that data be kept secure? How will it be stored, anonymized, or sold? How will consumers be fully aware of what data are being collected and how it is being used?” There’s “an ever growing mountain” of evidence on the negative outcomes from artificial intelligence systems using algorithms to sift data and exhibiting biases for certain demographics, Starks said. “Widen your aperture to be aware of and conscientiously think through complex issues involving data and privacy that are going to dominate our shared future,” he told NAB. Starks also focused on FCC data collection, calling the FCC’s data collection on broadcast ownership diversity “stale.” It's "still not clear to me how, for nearly 20 years, the FCC ignored Congress’ will by not collecting” equal employment opportunity workforce diversity data, Starks said. “That means we have had zero visibility into the diversity of station management and news and production teams. I will continue to work to re-open this issue going forward,” he said. Starks disagreed that collecting EEO data or diversity policies would be vulnerable to constitutional challenges. “Collecting and analyzing data is a ministerial function that is necessary for the FCC, as an expert agency, to have a better understanding of the industries that we regulate,” Starks said. “We have a direct order from the 3rd Circuit Court to implement a data program that would help understand the impact of our regulatory efforts on the ability of women and people of color to own stations.” Broadcasters should work to improve diversity in broadcasting, he said. “Hold yourselves accountable -- this is an annual meeting of the NAB board, so make sure that one year from now, the numbers are better.”