The FCC’s draft NPRM on ATSC 3.0 and a recent grant from the Department of Transportation to fund the Broadcast Positioning System pilot program (see 2510070016) show that “momentum is building” for the new standard, NAB said in a blog post Thursday. While the NPRM doesn’t take a side on NAB’s proposals for a mandatory transition starting in 2028 and for a 3.0 tuner mandate for TVs, it does tentatively propose doing away with the FCC’s "substantially similar" and simulcast requirements (see 2510070038). “In an important step forward, the [FCC] has proposed eliminating key barriers that have slowed broadcasters’ ability to bring viewers the full benefits of this cutting-edge technology,” NAB said. There are “more than 125 television stations in 77 markets reaching roughly 75% of viewers [that] are already broadcasting with the ATSC 3.0 standard,” the group noted. “We look forward to working with the Commission as it removes these barriers and establishes dates by which the broadcasting industry and viewers will take this exciting leap into the next generation of television.”
Broadcast standards association ATSC is “encouraged” by the FCC’s draft ATSC 3.0 NPRM, President Madeleine Noland said in an emailed statement Wednesday. “While we’re going through the many questions raised by the FCC in its draft document, ATSC believes it's good that conversations are underway and that the next phase of the transition is about to begin.” Moving to 3.0 will “allow broadcasters to enhance their ties to local viewers, with the capability to enhance emergency messages” and “improve accessibility for viewers.” The group doesn’t “advocate for specific positions” on what should happen with the transition, she added.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded NAB a $744,000 contract to field test the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) with Dominion Energy, NAB said in a news release Monday. BPS is based on ATSC 3.0 broadcasts' creation of a precise timestamp for the emission of each broadcast frame, which, along with the location of multiple ATSC 3.0 transmitters in a given area, can be used to calculate a position comparable in accuracy to GPS. “This first-of-its-kind field test is part of the federal government’s broader effort to develop resilient alternatives to GPS for position, navigation and timing services,” NAB's release said. The field test will take place in the Washington/Baltimore area, an industry official told us.
The FCC wants to adopt what it's calling a "licensing assembly line" approach to speeding up its review of satellite and earth station applications, according to a 201-page draft NPRM on space licensing reform. The item, which is on the FCC's Oct. 28 meeting agenda, would also extend the license terms for most satellites and earth stations to 20 years, move largely to a nationwide blanket license approach for earth stations, and require that satellite operators share space situational awareness data. The draft agenda items were released Tuesday.
The FCC's October agenda will see commissioners tackling issues ranging from an NPRM on accelerating the ATSC 3.0 transition to loopholes in its covered equipment list, Chairman Brendan Carr wrote Monday. The agenda is particularly space-centric, he noted, saying in a speech Monday that the FCC remains "riddled with backwards-looking regulations" regarding space. Carr's blog also said the commission plans to vote at the Oct. 28 meeting on revisions to incarcerated people’s communications services rules, as expected (see 2510030047).
Broadcasters, MVPD groups and public safety entities largely agree that the FCC's plans to revamp emergency alerting are a good thing, but they differ on the direction they want those plans to take, according to comments filed in docket 25-224 by Thursday’s deadline.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s use of agency threats against Disney, ABC and local broadcasters on Wednesday led to Jimmy Kimmel Live! being pulled from the air within hours, and Carr is widely expected to keep repeating the tactic, academics and attorneys said in interviews Thursday.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr signaled in a podcast interview posted Wednesday that the FCC could act against ABC and parent company Disney if they don't discipline late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over comments related to the political affiliation of the man arrested in the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. First Amendment attorneys told us that policing the speech of late-show monologues is outside FCC authority.
The FCC has been asking broadcasters about ATSC 3.0’s use of digital rights management (DRM) encryption and concerns that it could squeeze out some device manufacturers, said officials from ATSC 3.0 consortium Pearl TV and 3.0 device maker Tolka in an interview.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr signaled his support for the ATSC 3.0 transition in a release Tuesday on a Media Bureau public notice clarifying 3.0 application procedures. “Americans across the country will benefit from Next Gen TV and the improved viewing experience that it enables,” Carr said in the release. “That is why the FCC is working to support and encourage a timely transition. As the broadcast industry continues to evolve, we want to be sure that they can do so while maintaining their core public interest obligations.”