Monty Tayloe

FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly voted to approve a declaratory ruling and accompanying NPRM in docket 20-145 on ATSC 3.0 with the rest of the commission Tuesday but was critical of several aspects of the rulemaking. The final items are expected to be little changed from their draft versions. “I do question whether this is the best use of our resources,” said O’Rielly. “We probably could have lived without the effort to artificially rebrand the nonbroadcast, datacasting services with the questionable term ‘Broadcast Internet.’” The declaratory ruling proceeding was led by O’Rielly’s fellow commission Republican, Brendan Carr. O’Rielly said during a post-meeting news conference his comments weren’t directed at Carr. Carr repeatedly advocated for the term “broadcast internet,” to be applied to ATSC 3.0 datacasting, which he said in a post-meeting news conference should be differentiated from NextGen TV offerings. The item clarifies the rules for broadcasters using their spectrum for wireless capacity, Carr said. “ATSC 3.0 is the technology that will allow broadcast spectrum to play an even greater role in this converged market for connectivity.” Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel expressed concern about 3.0’s lack of backward compatibility and its suitability for applications such as telehealth, nonetheless lauded the proceeding as “responsibly” exploring “legal and technical issues that stand in the way of this standard’s further development.”

The FCC is expected to approve a draft declaratory ruling and NPRM on rules for ATSC 3.0 “broadcast internet” (see 2005180066) at Tuesday’s meeting with few changes. Commissioners already voted to approve a separate order that largely won't allow broadcasters to use vacant TV bands for the 3.0 transition but permits waivers of simulcast rules.

A draft NPRM on ATSC 3.0 datacasting set for the commissioners' June 9 meeting “makes it clear the FCC is looking to be very flexible about opening up services beyond traditional TV,” said NAB Senior Vice President-Technology Lynn Claudy during the teleconferenced annual ATSC meeting Wednesday. Claudy, the group's chairman, said “it’s nice to know data broadcasting can begin at scale.” The FCC’s draft items (see 2005180066) use the term “broadcast internet” -- a phrase promoted by Commissioner Brendan Carr -- which Claudy said emphasizes the convergence trend among communications technologies. The pandemic is causing delays in the 3.0 transition, but ATSC President Madeleine Noland said she expects U.S. broadcasters to “substantially achieve” their stated deployment goals for 2020. Noland said the pandemic affected deployment in 3.0 pioneer South Korea, though the country is still expected to offer the standard in 95% of the country “in coming years.” The rollout of 3.0-capable TVs in the U.S. also was affected by the pandemic-related shuttering of brick-and-mortar stores, but the consumer electronics industry has seen “strong initial interest” in the devices, said John Taylor, LG senior vice president-public affairs and communications. Noland lamented the pandemic-caused loss of trade shows as venues to spread the word on the new standard, saying the group’s NextGen Broadcast Conference is still set for Aug. 27-28. That event will happen only if local restrictions and COVID-19 concerns allow it to proceed, she said.

COVID-19 is affecting the launch of ATSC 3.0 stations and creating uncertainty about when they will begin airing the new standard, said broadcasters and NextGenTV advocates Thursday on an NAB Show Express streamed panel. “We’re still on track to get a bunch of markets launched this year,” said John Hane, CEO of Spectrum Consortium (Spectrum Co).

Engineers and broadcasters disagree whether more experimentation with possible interference concerns is needed before allowing AM broadcasters go all-digital (see 2003100062). Some argued the FCC should pursue other solutions for the band, in replies posted through Tuesday in docket 19-311.

Broadcasters and device manufacturers widely support an FCC proposal to allow AM radio stations to voluntarily go all-digital, in comments posted in docket 19-311 by Monday night’s deadline. New rules should involve “a straightforward procedure for stations to notify the Commission of a change to all-digital operations and, likewise, a notification of reversion to analog or hybrid operations,” said Bryan Broadcasting, the originator of the petition that spawned the NPRM. Hubbard and others praised all-digital AM. The company operates such a station under experimental license (see 1911200056).

Coronavirus concerns are forcing the cancellation of more industry summits and prompting the FCC to ban nonessential travel and participation in large gatherings (see 2003040061). America's Communications Association Thursday also announced the cancellation of its March summit.

The FCC is suspending “noncritical” domestic and international travel for employees (see 2003040060) and its involvement in “non-critical large gatherings that involve participants from across the country and/or around the world.” That's until further notice as a preventive measure related to the coronavirus, said a public notice Wednesday. Chairman Ajit Pai, Commissioner Brendan Carr, and Media Bureau staff were all slated to participate in the NAB Show April 18-22 in Las Vegas. The commission and NAB didn’t comment. The agency is also barring visitors to headquarters and facilities who in the past 14 days “have been in any country that is the subject of a COVID-19- related CDC Level 3 Travel Warning.” Those countries are currently China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, the PN said. “Similarly, employees and contractors who, during the most recent 14 days, have been in any of these countries are being asked not to enter FCC facilities.” An aide to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said a planned hearing on artificial intelligence co-hosted by the commissioner will still take place in Detroit March 16. “The Chairman’s Office, in consultation with the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, the Office of Managing Director, and Office of General Counsel, will continue to monitor developments and will implement additional precautions (or relax current precautions) should circumstances warrant,” the PN said.

Military training, precision agriculture and immigration enforcement are among possible uses for datacasting using public TV spectrum and ATSC 3.0, America’s Public Television Stations’ summit heard Tuesday. FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly endorsed public TV’s focus on datacasting, in a speech. “You may just be on to something here,” he said. “Please keep me posted.”

A TV white spaces NPRM circulated on the eighth floor by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Wednesday seems to incorporate concepts pushed by Microsoft, a broadcast industry official said Wednesday. The TVWS NPRM is set for a vote at the Feb. 28 commissioners’ meeting. The proposal "would allow white space devices to reach users at greater distances, thus enabling improved broadband coverage," said an FCC release. The item includes proposals to increase the minimum separation distances for white space devices operating at higher power.