The FCC should reject the Wireless ISP Association’s arguments that ATSC 3.0’s greater capabilities to handle interference mean the FCC should relax interference rules for unlicensed devices operating in the TV white spaces, said broadcaster consortium BitPath in an ex parte filing Friday in docket 20-36. The “most troubling aspect” of WISPA’s stance is the idea “that the capabilities of ATSC 3.0 should be applied not to improve broadcast television service, but rather to give [white spaces device] interests more operating flexibility,” said BitPath CEO John Hane. An interference test performed by WISPA, “skips over too many inconvenient real-world facts to be taken seriously,” Hane said. Both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 receivers must be protected from interference because there are currently few 3.0 devices and 1.0 signals are still required, Hane said. “Any conclusions drawn solely from self-serving tests of two devices would be unjustified,” he said. “Technological advances in interference modeling ensures that spectrum, that scarce public resource, is put to its best and highest use,” emailed WISPA CEO Claude Aiken. “The FCC has welcomed those technological advances in interference modeling in multiple other shared spectrum bands. WISPA merely suggests that the FCC should follow suit here as well.”
The 39-month repacking officially ends July 13 and the vast majority of TV outlets have switched channels. That doesn't mean the job is finished.
A second station in Phoenix began broadcasting ATSC 3.0, said Pearl TV Wednesday. E.W. Scripps’s KASW-TV is broadcasting under the new standard, the release said. “The station will host KSAZ-TV (Fox) as part of the initial launch." The other 3.0 station is Univision's KFPH-CD.
DLA Piper hires from KPMG Ronald Plesco as partner, Intellectual Property and Technology practice ... With Public Media Venture Group working with Convergence Services Inc. on ATSC 3.0 for PMVG’s noncommercial stations, CSI President John Lawson named adviser, PMVG; he's also executive director, Advanced Warning and Response Network Alliance ... Federal Acquisition Service Deputy Commissioner and Director-Technology Transformation Services Anil Cheriyan "returning to the private sector for a new career opportunity," General Services Administration says.
Four Utah stations went live with ATSC 3.0 broadcasts, Sinclair announced Wednesday. Sinclair owns KUTV Salt Lake City and KJZZ-TV Salt Lake City; Nexstar owns KTVX Salt Lake City and KUCW Ogden. The stations join other recent 3.0 ones in Las Vegas, Pittsburgh and Nashville.
Borrowing a model-year approach from the automotive world, Vizio announced a 2021 lineup Tuesday, which “shipped a little bit late,” a spokesperson told us. The sets don’t support ATSC 3.0; the company is "always evaluating new technologies like ATSC 3.0 that might bring value to our customers,” he said, and has no immediate announcements on support. There's much other tech, however, in the products. Vizio is launching its first OLED TVs this fall, it said, along with a matched sound bar with adaptive height speakers that automatically rotate up when Atmos or DTS:X content is detected, said Chief Technology Officer Bill Baxter. It has Bluetooth and a voice assistant input. The company is pushing advanced features for gamers to coincide with releases of the latest PlayStation and Xbox game systems. Vizio’s ProGaming engine has a variable refresh rate and syncs a game's changing frame rate and the TV's refresh rate, said Philip Kim, associate product marketing manager on a call last week. The engine's faster response time and lower input lag let users respond more precisely, he said. Carlos Angulo, director-product marketing, called its HDR10+ strategy part of ensuring consumers don’t have to “degrade their viewing experience because they don’t have a particular format,” just like the company does with voice assistants. Faster processor performance improves the new lineup’s SmartCast streaming platform experience, said Amanda Cross, senior manager-product marketing. Users can navigate more quickly between apps and scroll faster to discover new content, she said. A recent software performance boost is backward compatible and available for all SmartCast TVs back to 2016. SmartCast users can control their TVs with a smartphone app and by voice using Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri, said Cross. Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast built-in users can stream entertainment from a phone, tablet or laptop to the TV.
Entities seeking FCC approval for rule changes on FM translators and boosters disagree whether their proposals are related, in dueling emailed statements from GeoBroadcast Solutions and Broadcasters for Limited Program Origination. The broadcast group’s petition (see 2006240061) to originate programming on FM translators is “fundamentally different” from GBS’ petition (see 2006040024) that would allow stations to localize programming with synchronized boosters and isn’t “driven by technology innovation,” the company said. The broadcaster group disagrees the requests are so different, and said GBS is overselling the complexity of its tech. GBS’ comparison of its tech to ATSC 3.0 “displays a troublesome chutzpa,” said the broadcaster group. The broadcasters said the FCC should act on their proposal at the same time as the GBS one, while GBS sought to distance itself from the translator origination proposal. “Each offering must stand on its own for its merit and market potential, and not create the misrepresentation that they should be connected in some way,” said GeoBroadcast. “If FM booster stations are allowed a regulatory easing on content choice for limited portions of the broadcast day, then so also should FM translator stations be equally allowed to choose whatever programming their licensees best think would serve their listening audience,” said the broadcasters. “Proposals to use non-fill-in translators to transmit a week's worth of key programming would skew this proceeding in an entirely different direction,” said GBS.
Five Nashville stations began broadcasting in ATSC 3.0 Tuesday, Sinclair announced. Sinclair owns WZTV, WUXP-TV and WNAB, E.W. Scripps owns WTVF and Nexstar, WKRN-TV. WZTV, WUXP and WKRN will be “charter participants” in the launch of spectrum consortium BitPath’s data broadcasting network, said BitPath CEO John Hane. Stations have also gone live with 3.0 in Pittsburgh and Las Vegas (see 2006170061).
Three Pittsburgh stations went live in ATSC 3.0, said Sinclair Tuesday: Sinclair’s WPGH-TV, WPNT and Hearst’s WTAE-TV. “The participating stations have cooperated to ensure that all existing programming remains available to all viewers,” including on pay TV, said Sinclair. “Pittsburgh is just the second city in which different broadcasters have cooperated to launch full time commercial ATSC 3.0 service,” blogged BitPath President John Hane. “WPNT and WPGH-TV will soon be important links in the BitPath network.”
The FCC issued the order wrapping up dangling aspects of ATSC 3.0 rules, as expected (see 2006050054). Stations with fewer than three potential simulcasting partners would be eligible to receive simulcast waivers, if they commit to taking reasonable efforts to provide ATSC 1.0 service during the transition. That could be by providing consumers with converters, but the order said the agency would consider other ideas. Waiver applications that include providing free converters to consumers will be looked upon “favorably,” the order said. The order doesn’t grant a blanket waiver to noncommercial educational or low-power TV stations, as some commenters sought. The order also doesn’t allow broadcasters to use vacant channels for the transition, and rejects reconsideration petitions of the 3.0 order from the American Television Alliance and NCTA. “If warranted by market conditions in the future, we may revisit the need for permitting broadcasters to use vacant channels as transition channels,” the order said. Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks dissented in part, raising concerns about the costs passed on to consumers and the order’s lack of requirements that 3.0 patents be licensed on a reasonable and nondiscriminatory basis. That’s inconsistent with past policy, and in this case, “a single broadcaster holds the essential ATSC 3.0 patents and thus can set pricing and terms for any other broadcaster seeking to transition,” said Starks. Sinclair and affiliates are said to hold several 3.0 patents. “By failing to follow history here, FCC is conferring special status on those who hold key patents without requiring fair terms in exchange,” Rosenworcel said. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly voted to approve but said broadcasters should be able to self-certify they can’t find sharing partners. O’Rielly and both Democrats said they agreed with the decision to keep transitioning broadcasters off vacant channels. “This is clearly a premature matter that can be examined later, if absolutely necessary,” he said. The order said stations’ significantly viewed status doesn’t change while their 1.0 channel is being hosted by another broadcaster.