The FCC approved a draft ATSC 3.0 order with sunset dates for the substantially similar and A/322 physical layer requirements (see 2304070045) and is expected to release it soon, FCC and industry officials told us. The order extends the substantially similar requirement for four years, and will require the FCC to examine the progress of the new standard one year before the sunset date. The order also similarly extends the physical layer requirement. The substantially similar requirement had been set to end in July. The A/322 physical layer was to sunset in March, but that was temporarily stayed by the agency earlier this year.
Major broadcasters are banking heavily on ATSC 3.0-enabled datacasting services as a significant future revenue stream, speakers said Thursday at a NextGen TV conference in Washington. Numerous broadcasters said one big NextGen hurdle remains the dearth of ATSC 3.0 receivers and 3.0-compatible TV sets deployed and in use.
Low-power television station WWOO-LD in Boston applied for an experimental license from the FCC to broadcast in 5G, it said Monday. 5G broadcasting is a method of using broadcast spectrum to transmit data that can be received by existing 5G devices, Frank Copsidas, president of the LPTV Broadcasters Association, said in an interview Saturday. Qualcomm and XGen Networks are also involved in the undertaking. 5G broadcast is an alternate method of datacasting from ATSC 3.0, which requires devices to have 3.0-capable receivers to get the signal. “ATSC 3.0 is a huge step forward for full power stations, but challenges remain,” said WWOO’s website. 5G broadcasting is more suited to LPTV stations because of interference concerns, Copsidas said. Full-power broadcasters using the technology would interfere with a huge swath of other 5G signals, whereas LPTV stations have a more reduced reach, he said. “As a broadcaster, WWOO will air one programming stream and data stream,” said a WWOO news release. “Software and apps for smartphones, tablets, and commercial receivers have been or in the process of being developed.” The application still needs FCC approval, and the test facility hasn’t yet been built, Copsidas said.
The NAB-stewarded, FCC-involved task force intended to iron out the ATSC 3.0 transition -- The Future of TV Initiative – kicks off Monday at NAB’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The meetings (see 2304170056) are closed to the press, and neither NAB nor the FCC would say who from the agency is participating or in what capacity, but the entities invited to attend seem optimistic, if scant on details. “I don’t think we know enough to say how it will go, but we’re cautiously intrigued,” said Kathleen Burke, task force participant and Public Knowledge policy counsel. “We are hoping that the process clears the way for the FCC to resolve any outstanding regulatory issues so that the NEXTGEN TV transition is accomplished in an expedited manner," emailed Lonna Thompson, general counsel for task force participant America’s Public Television Stations.
Among the first broadcasting matters likely to be taken up by a full five-person FCC are the 2018 Quadrennial Review and the proposed Equal Employment Opportunity data collection, said broadcasters, public interest advocates and FCC officials in interviews this week. Both items have been long stalled at the agency and are considered nearly ready to be rolled out, industry and FCC officials told us. Such a 2018 quadrennial order likely wouldn’t include substantive rule changes, broadcast industry officials said. “I don’t have any great hopes of any massive deregulation,” said Gray Television Senior Vice President-Government Relations and Distribution Rob Folliard. The FCC didn't comment on the specifics of what Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has planned for broadcasting once she has an FCC majority, but an agency spokesperson said the Chairwoman "will continue to prioritize protecting consumers and preserving competition, localism and diversity.”
The FCC Media Bureau extended broadcasters’ waiver of the audible crawl requirements, but by 18 months rather than the two years requested by NAB and with a new quarterly progress report requirement, said an order Friday, the same day the current waiver expired. Consumer groups urged the FCC not to extend the waiver. “The record demonstrates that a viable technical solution for automated descriptions of emergency information presented in graphic form does not currently exist,” the Media Bureau said. “The critical details of an emergency provided in graphic form are in most instances duplicative of information conveyed in textual crawls, which are already aurally described.” Compliance with the requirement for a secondary audio stream describing emergency information conveyed on the main stream through graphics was originally required in 2015 but has been repeatedly waived, most recently by a five-year waiver granted in 2018. The Media Bureau said Friday it granted the waiver for 18 months instead of two years because of the repeated extensions. This extension also comes with a requirement for NAB to submit quarterly status reports to the Media and Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. The reports, which were requested by consumer groups (see 2305150032), should assess the continuing need for the waiver, describe NAB’s outreach to the disabled community about the audible crawl, and NAB’s efforts to develop an automated solution “such as solutions afforded by AI-based systems or the ongoing adoption of ATSC 3.0 in more television markets,” the order said. The reports also need to describe training and best practices for broadcasters on conveying non-textual emergency information, and alternative solutions broadcasters and the disability community pursue, the order said. "Today’s waiver extension is critical for broadcasters to continue to provide vital emergency information to the public," said an NAB spokesperson. "NAB very much appreciates both the Commission’s and consumer groups’ willingness to engage with us to find meaningful ways for broadcasters to serve all of our viewers."
Many low-power TV broadcasters want the FCC to consider alternatives to Nielsen for determining broadcaster markets, and nearly every commenter objects to an agency proposal to base a station’s ability to maintain Class A status on its market not growing to over 95,000 households, according to numerous filings -- many nearly identical -- on FCC’s proposals for implementation of the Low Power Protection Act in docket 23-126. NAB joined the objections to the Class A language but said changing the designated market area (DMA) system could disrupt the ATSC 3.0 transition. “Expanding DMA definitions in this manner could have ramifications concerning network and syndicated programming exclusivity and cable carriage, and could inadvertently hinder the transition to ATSC 3.0 in nearby larger markets,” NAB said.
The ATSC 3.0-focused public-private partnership announced by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel will likely hold its first meetings in mid to late June, said ATSC President Madeleine Noland at a Media Institute Luncheon Tuesday (see 2304170056). NAB expects similar timing, a spokesperson told us. The Future of TV Initiative will consider possible solutions for ATSC 3.0 backward compatibility and what the eventual sunset of ATSC 1.0 will look like, Noland said. “A renewed focus by the FCC is very good news,” Noland said. “We need to chart a path forward together.”
TV broadcasters are getting presidential campaign ad buys earlier than in any previous race, expect opportunities for sports deals, and vary on whether a possible recession is affecting their businesses, said executives from E.W. Scripps, Gray, Sinclair and Nexstar on recent Q1 earnings calls. “We candidly don't see current signs of recession looming on the horizon,” said Gray co-CEO Hilton Howell last week. “There is no question that there are economic headwinds out there,” said Nexstar CEO Perry Sook Tuesday.
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Quickly restoring FCC spectrum auction authority is critical with the World Radiocommunication Conference approaching in late fall, said government officials at the FCBA annual seminar Friday and Saturday. FCBA members heard from FCC commissioners and NTIA officials on a variety of other issues, including possible "Buy America" waivers for the broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program.