Public TV Stations Left Out of ATSC 3.0 Could Get Virtual 3.0 'Channel'

Noncommercial educational stations that haven’t had the chance to participate in the ATSC 3.0 transition could receive temporary, internet-only channels to allow their content to be received by 3.0 devices, said Pearl TV Managing Director Anne Schelle in an interview.

Pearl is developing the process, which Schelle said would let PBS stations that haven’t found channel sharing partners in their market “get a running start” with some -- but not all -- of 3.0’s features. It isn’t easy for public TV stations to participate in 3.0. and Pearl’s proposal could help temporarily, broadcasters and attorneys told us. In many markets, public TV “isn’t being invited to the table,” said Melodie Virtue, of Foster Garvey.

Pearl’s idea is to give NCE stations that haven’t been able to get into a 3.0 hosting arrangement with other stations in their market an internet-only “channel” that's an internet address that can be accessed only by connected TVs that can receive a 3.0 broadcast, Schelle said. She calls it “OTA IP.” To the consumer viewing the device, the station’s content will look just like another 3.0 channel, but the content isn’t being transmitted over the airwaves and doesn’t take up spectrum capacity. The stations that go this route would be able to offer the interactive, visual and audio advantages of 3.0, but they wouldn’t be able to participate in datacasting, because they aren’t broadcasting in 3.0, Schelle said.

The virtual channel would allow the station to become familiar with the programming options of 3.0, test the offerings it will provide when the station actually transitions, and give the market’s 3.0 receivers additional content, Schelle said. To encourage widespread 3.0 adoption, broadcasters need consumers who buy 3.0-compliant TVs to see a broad selection of channels available when they switch them on, she said: “To build to scale, we need to delight the customer.”

Since the 3.0 transition involves stations hosting the content of multiple other stations, there’s a capacity squeeze in many markets that can leave public TV stations without partners, said Gray Miller attorney Margaret Miller. “Many of the public stations were left out of the 3.0 lighthouses; many were not asked to join in,” said Eric Dausman, senior vice president-RF technology at 3.0 technology company Signal Infrastructure.

“I don’t think it is ill will; it is just easier for commercial stations to get together,” said Steve Bass, CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). In markets with multiple ATSC 3.0 “sticks,” it's easier to get public TV stations involved because there’s more capacity, Schelle said. Stations that can’t find a 3.0 sharing partner will one day have to “flash-cut” to the new standard, Dausman said.

Public TV stations also often cover larger and remoter areas than their commercial brethren, said Miller. That can complicate channel sharing arrangements, since moving the signal to another broadcaster’s station could leave too many viewers without coverage. They also tend to have robust multicast channels, further straining spectrum capacity in a hosting arrangement.

Pearl’s plan is “a clever idea” that could be a way for public TV stations to try 3.0 out, said Bass. OPB’s station KOBP-TV Portland transitioned to 3.0 in partnership with commercial stations, but Bass said those arrangements are rare. Though he said KOPB’s shift wasn’t overly expensive, the costs for stations that host others can be high, and Pearl’s idea could be more budget-friendly, Bass said. Many public TV broadcasters have to go through boards or even state governments to get approval for large expenditures, he said.

The plan could be attractive to public broadcasters, but many are very focused on their over-the-air signal, Dausman said. Miller wondered about the legal implications of the internet channel. It matters whether such a virtual channel is being broadcast or online for the purposes of things like music rights, she pointed out. The FCC has also been scrutinizing 3.0 arrangements, she said. “The entire ATSC 3.0 signal is in IP and the OTA IP channel will be just one component of the broadcaster's signal and therefore will comply with all the FCC requirements,” Schelle emailed.

Both Bass and Dausman said they see rising interest among public broadcasters in 3.0. Signal is “having preliminary conversations” with many public TV stations about 3.0, Dausman said: “Things are happening, it’s real now.” Bass is cautious about the long-term outlook for 3.0, but he said he gets asked about it by other public broadcasters. Dausman’s company helps stations connect with others for transition sharing arrangements, and he said the process of setting up a 3.0 arrangement in a market has become streamlined: “The industry is well-versed.”