ATSC 1.0 Broadcasting Needs an End Date, NAB Head and FCC's Carr Say

The U.S. needs to move toward a firm date for the end of mandatory simulcast of ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 signals and fully transition to ATSC 3.0, but it's too early to say when that date should be, NAB CEO Curtis LeGeyt said Thursday at the NextGen Broadcast Conference in Washington. Conference-goers applauded the call for a transition deadline, and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr echoed it, saying he would support a proceeding about the issue. Carr also suggested gauging broadcast and wireless industry interest in an "incentive auction 2.0" for low-band spectrum.

One challenge with an ATSC 1.0 shutoff date is that the 3.0 rollout is in "an unfortunate middle ground," LeGeyt said. More stations have next-generation capabilities and more next-gen TV sets are available, but spectrum constraints due to signal simulcasting limit stations' ability to demonstrate all the features, he said. As such, he said ATSC 3.0 discussions with regulators and policymakers need to be broader than consumers having access to enhanced TV service. Instead, they should also look at other opportunities such as the broadcast positioning system (BPS) -- a potential supplement to GPS, with timestamp and tower location data inserted into over-the-air broadcast signals. He said NAB is assembling a consortium of equipment vendors and broadcasters for a joint, multimarket BPS trial.

FCC leadership is keenly interested in ensuring consumers are not left behind in the ATSC 3.0 transition, so a phase-out or hard end to ATSC 1.0 simulcasting must address issues like backward compatibility, LeGeyt said. But a focus on ATSC 3.0's national security and critical infrastructure implications via BPS "transcends any conversation about the media landscape," LeGeyt said. Then policymakers could be open to such approaches as a federal coupon program for ATSC 3.0 similar to one employed for converter boxes during the digital TV transition, he said.

The wireless industry's technology transitions from 1G through 5G haven't required set timelines and regulatory approval, Carr said. He said the FCC should take the same approach -- with flexible licenses letting broadcasters upgrade as they see fit -- for future broadcast transitions.

The FCC spent years ignoring the economic struggles of local newspapers before substantially eliminating the newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership rule in 2017, and there could be similar agency inaction in the face of struggles some small-market broadcasters face, Carr said. The danger is if the agency defaults to the status quo of rules focused on localism and ownership diversity "regardless of the fact that they are having an opposite impact," Carr said. He added that's the politically safer approach, as revisions to those rules would be met with cries of being against localism. He said along with providing broadcasters greater clarity about the ATSC 3.0 transition, the agency should ensure "a level regulatory playing field" for broadcasters in areas where they compete with other industries, such as Big Tech. He said FCC broadcast ownership rules need to be changed to incentivize greater investment in those struggling stations.

Carr said an ATSC 3.0 coupon program might not be needed, as various wireless transitions saw carriers having free-market incentives to upgrade their subscribers, such as by subsidizing handsets.

ATSC President Madeleine Noland touted ATSC 3.0’s “blossoming success,” with new markets and devices including a pending rollout in Brazil. She said 15,000 next-gen-capable TV sets are sold daily in the U.S., and ATSC 3.0 has rolled out in 75 markets that reach 75% of U.S. households. Noland said Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is experimenting with smart city services via ATSC 3.0, while a 19-city direct-to-mobile pilot using broadcast infrastructure is forthcoming in India. She unveiled a tagline for the group -- “the Broadcast Standards Association.”