ATSC 3.0-focused entities BitPath, OneMedia and Pearl TV want the FCC to delay or ameliorate congressionally required ancillary services fees on broadcaster datacasting, while public interest groups believe those fees should be used to cover costs to consumers from purported disruptions in the 3.0 transition, said comments posted at the FCC in docket 20-145 (see 2006090055). Noncommercial educational broadcasters want to be exempt from the fees, and low-power TV groups seek more flexibility to benefit from 3.0.
The FCC might not be as aggressive on pirate radio enforcement and curbing cable local franchise authorities (LFAs) after Commissioner Mike O'Rielly's expected departure from his seat Jan. 3 at the latest, experts and insiders told us. Some wonder if O'Rielly will be a quieter presence on the commission in his remaining weeks; he issued no statements at its August meeting though he did for the C-band auction rules approved on circulation (see 2008060069). O'Rielly's office and the FCC didn't comment.
Some broadcasters are seeing signs the downturn in advertising caused by the pandemic is slowly improving. Others remain uncertain, based on earnings releases and quarterly investor calls this week. Sinclair stock closed down 10% Wednesday at $19.32. Fox fell 7.3% to $24.73.
Seven TV more stations are in ATSC 3.0, said Nexstar Tuesday: in Oregon, Sinclair’s KATU Portland, Nexstar’s KOIN Portland and KRCW-TV Salem, Tegna’s KGW Portland, Meredith’s KPTV Portland and Oregon Public Broadcasting’s KOPB-TV Eugene, and in Washington state, KPDX Vancouver.
Expansion of the footprint for ATSC 3.0, launched in South Korea in 2017, will continue “in earnest” in the near future, Parks Associates reported, noting launches on Las Vegas stations in May (see 2005260061) and elsewhere. It cited benefits including 4K HDR video support, immersive audio via Dolby Atmos and DTS-X, on-demand video, access to enriched interactive content and an updated emergency alert system. A required tuner could be a boon for smart TV makers such as Samsung, LG and Sony, which are developing 3.0-enabled sets. Data and analytics will drive personalization and search capabilities, and push notifications will play a prominent role beyond just operating system updates, it said: Smart TV’s role will evolve through COVID-19 to remain “front and center” in the U.S. connected home. Technology advances, proliferation of video apps and improved interoperability with other devices have pushed the smart TV to a more central residential role, Parks said. In Q1, 30% of TV owners said their most-used TV has a voice-enabled remote control or voice assistant -- or can be controlled by a smart speaker -- vs. 10% in the year-ago quarter.
The FCC order laying out the requirement for ATSC 3.0 simulcast waivers (see 2006160064) takes effect Aug. 17, says Friday’s Federal Register. Thursday’s FR included the FCC’s declaratory ruling clarifying that broadcast ownership restrictions don’t apply to ATSC 3.0 datacasting (see 2006090055), which took effect June 9. Comments on an accompanying NPRM are due Aug. 17, replies Aug. 31.
Broadcast entities and white space devices proponents accused one another of attempting to seize control of spectrum they don’t own, in replies posted in docket 20-74 Tuesday in the FCC ATSC 3.0 distributed transmission system proceeding (see 2006150060). Microsoft’s opposition to relaxing interference rules to allow DTS systems is “a back door spectrum grab,” said One Media. The proposed changes “will only benefit a subgroup of broadcasters pursuing their vision of Broadcast Internet by allowing them to extend their respective coverage footprint,” Microsoft said. Though a broadcaster, PMCM also argued that DTS supporters’ motives aren’t pure. “The proposal is essentially a grab for new territory at the cost of decades of Commission adherence to community values,” PMCM said. "The only opposition to this proposal comes from parties with secondary or non-existent spectrum rights that ask the Commission to provide them with unprecedented and unwarranted protections,” said NAB and America’s Public Television Stations. Rule changes are premature because broadcasters have “yet to deploy ATSC 3.0 services in any widespread manner” and they aren’t aimed at improving TV broadcasting, said the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge. Assertions that broadcasters aren’t seeking those changes to improve over-the-air TV and would heavily invest in single-frequency networks only to compete in a datacasting market that doesn’t yet exist are naive, BitPath said. Revenue and public service benefits from datacasting won’t justify those sorts of investments on their own “for the foreseeable future,” said the company. “While the Commission does not propose granting the DTS spillover area any protection or rights today, based on the history of ATSC 3.0, we know such a request will be forthcoming,” Microsoft said. “It is only a matter of when.”
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.