Questions on ATSC 3.0 Transition Dominate House Hearing on Emergency Alerts
House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa., has “concerns” about transition to the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard and its impact on affordability, he said at a hearing Wednesday on emergency alerts and featuring testimony from NAB Chief Technology Officer Sam Matheny and Qualcomm Director-Engineering Farrokh Khatibi. Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., pressed Matheny on whether NAB prefers mandates or market forces to guide the transition. “We are not looking for a mandate,” Matheny told her.
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Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., asked about the need for consumers to buy new equipment. A new TV set or tuning device would be required, Matheny said. Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., worries about affordability of ATSC 3.0 transition equipment, he said. How would the transition not “further marginalize” some people, he asked. Matheny told McNerney about a focus on simulcasting, which should ensure all people can receive service. The American Cable Association questioned the effectiveness of this solution earlier this week (see 1705160054). The new tech will have “greater capabilities” but the plan is for no one to be “left behind,” Matheny said. “The first step we need to do is get FCC approval to use the new standard.” Stations then will begin to use their airwaves to talk about what they're doing to educate consumers, part of a voluntary program, Matheny said. He also faced questions about cybersecurity and insisted NAB takes that priority seriously.
Blackburn raised importance of consumer education and quizzed witnesses on how they're striving to make people aware of alert systems. “We are working very closely with” the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, Khatibi said, stressing the focus on such education. He described the different types of alerts, from wireless emergency alerts to the possibility of broadcast TV alerts. Wireless alerts are the “first line,” he said.
Pallone worried about general smoothness of rolling out warnings. Their need is “greater” than in the past, “but new technologies won’t save lives if they aren’t useful and available to everyone,” Pallone said. “We need to ensure existing systems are free from interference, and we must test and evaluate these systems to make sure they can get the job done.” He mentioned “abysmal” first test results of the nationwide alerts system in 2011. “Entire states didn’t even receive the test alerts,” he said.
“We hope people don’t opt out,” said CGM Advisors CEO Chris Guttman-McCabe, a former CTIA official now representing Advanced Computers and Communications, urging education on the public safety side. He called for a “patchwork quilt” approach, tapping social media as a mechanism but saying that doesn’t remove the need for a primary alert system. He told Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., that the wireless alerts can be improved through simple software updates.