NAB and Public Knowledge back removing a conclusion from the draft order on broadcast internet that the FCC lacks authority to require broadcaster ancillary fees subsidize consumers for buying ATSC 3.0 equipment. “NAB indicated that it does not object to PK’s request that the Commission remove any conclusion regarding PK’s fees proposal,” said NAB and PK in a call last week with an aide to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, per a joint filing posted in docket 20-145 Monday. NAB and PK are usually opponents in FCC proceedings. “PK stressed that the Commission’s conclusion was at best premature and at this time it is unnecessary for the Commission to rule on its authority,” the filing said. PK said the same to an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai, said another filing. The draft order should be changed “to simply state that because the NPRM did not consider the issue of FCC authority to create a coupon fund to alleviate consumer costs during an ATSC 3.0 transition, it is premature for the Commission to consider it at this time,” said the group. “Excluding a discussion about the FCC’s authority to create such a fund would alleviate PK's primary objection.”

Pearl TV and its Phoenix Model Market partners scheduled a Jan. 7 livestreamed briefing to provide an update on NextGenTV plans for 2021. Next year “will bring more markets, more TV models, and more services,” said a media alert Friday. The event is four days before CES 2021 opens as an all-virtual show, where additional ATSC 3.0-enabled TV models are expected to be introduced.

Don't close off options on how to calculate broadcaster ATSC 3.0 datacasting ancillary service fees until such services start being used “and the arrangements between broadcasters and other parties become clearer,” NCTA this week told aides to all FCC commissioners except Chairman Ajit Pai, said an ex parte filing posted in docket 20-145 Thursday. The FCC should "decline at this time to exclude from gross revenue the value of in-kind facility improvements and should refrain from determining how the fee should be calculated in instances where a broadcaster leases spectrum to a third party,” NCTA said. It's “premature” to make any adjustments to the basis for calculating the fee, it said. America’s Public Television Stations “strongly” urges the FCC "to adopt its proposed Broadcast Internet Order to promote innovation, experimentation, and greater use of broadcast television spectrum, including spectrum licensed to public television stations,” said APTS CEO Patrick Butler in a news release Thursday: “The critical importance of Broadcast Internet services has never been clearer than during the pandemic.”

Hearst's WMOR-TV Lakeland, Florida, the host station for five broadcasters that went live Tuesday with ATSC 3.0 signals in Tampa-St. Petersburg (see 2012010060), is transmitting content in Dolby Vision HDR, plus HDR10, said a Pearl TV spokesperson. WMOR is providing the market’s first HDR video signal.

Hearst-owned WMOR-TV Lakeland, Florida, is the host station for five broadcasters that went live Tuesday with ATSC 3.0 signals in Tampa-St. Petersburg, the 12th-largest U.S. TV market, said Pearl TV. Consumers should understand that the NextGenTV "experience" from local stations “will be getting better and better, as more functions and features are added down the road,” said Pearl Managing Director Anne Schelle. Most broadcasters are launching 3.0 services in 1080p, and WMOR is also providing the market’s first HDR video signal. The station is transmitting Dolby Vision HDR, plus HDR10, said a Pearl spokesperson.

Comments are due Dec. 24 on NAB’s petition to clarify how multicast streams of TV stations simulcasting in the ATSC 3.0 transition will be treated under FCC licensing rules, said a public notice Tuesday. NAB wants the FCC to clarify that in such arrangements, the licensee originating the programming, not the host station, is responsible for that content. Some stations have concerns about which station is liable for any potential rule violations, the PN said. Replies are due in docket 16-142 Jan. 25.

Voice + is CTA’s new name for the dialogue enhancement feature that the Dolby AC-4 audio codec enables in ATSC 3.0-certified TVs that qualify for the NextGenTV logo, said the association Monday. CTA’s Video Division board approved Voice +, authorizing licensed TV makers to begin using the name on their 2021 model lines, it said. Dialogue enhancement scored high grades when demonstrated for consumers in Pearl TV’s Phoenix Model Market focus groups two years ago, said Magid Research, which did the studies (see 1904110037). In one demo, Dolby recorded loud cocktail party conversations and played them through speakers in the back of the viewing room, toggling the enhancement feature on and off to show how it makes pleasurable TV watching possible, even in noisy environments. AC-4 also enables consistent audio volume across all channels, a benefit highlighted at Pearl’s new WatchNextGenTV.com. CTA applied for the Voice + trademark Oct. 21 (see 2010290016). CTA also announced Monday the availability of the test suite TVs will need to pass to qualify for the NextGenTV logo. The suite includes more than 135 tests covering 150 "unique requirements across audio, video, captions, interactivity, service changes and more," said the association.

The Pearl TV-led consumer-facing website WatchNextGenTV.com went live Friday to promote ATSC 3.0 technology and services to the public (see 2010260022). “The future of television has arrived,” trumpets the site. “Immerse yourself in stunning video with brilliant color, sharper images and deeper contrast that will make you feel like you’re really there.” The site lists 11 TV markets where 3.0 service is “on the air,” with 11 more “coming in 2020.” It lists 75 markets where 3.0 services are “coming in 2021.” A link to the Sony page features eight TV models with 3.0 functionality, including four derivative models sold exclusively through Costco.

Broadcasters participating in the Pearl TV-led ATSC 3.0 Phoenix model market added a single-frequency network there, they announced Wednesday. This will “enhance reception for viewers and broaden the reach of broadcasters transmitting to NEXTGEN TV sets,” they said. An SFN “makes use of multiple strategically placed transmitters placed on the air within the coverage area on the same channel and carrying the same services,” said Pearl engineer David Folsom. “This increases the signal level available for over-the-air viewing and decreases the viewer's need for a more complex receiving antenna, while enabling future use of mobility services to NEXTGEN TV-equipped devices as found in automobiles.” E.W. Scripps' KASW (CW) is the SFN host station, with sharing agreements to carry the 3.0 simulcast of its KNXV-TV (ABC) and of KSAZ-TV (Fox) and KUTP (Fox Xtra); all these outlets are licensed to Phoenix, per FCC records.

CTA doesn’t “anticipate needing any further extensions” of the Patent and Trademark Office’s deadline for filing a statement of use (SOU) in the association’s application for the NEXTGEN TV logo as a certification mark on ATSC 3.0-compliant TVs, emailed Brian Markwalter, senior vice president-research and standards. CTA was granted a six-month extension last week to April 21, and is entitled to four more (see 2010230046). The original SOU deadline “was around the same time that compliant TVs with the logo were entering the market,” Markwalter said Monday. “Now that compliant TVs from multiple manufacturers are in the market and the logo is clearly in use, CTA is in the process of filing the appropriate SOU with evidence of use in commerce.” PTO requires SOUs before issuing registration certificates to prevent applicants from intentionally hoarding trademarks.