WASHINGTON—In an important regulatory push to advance NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0, the NAB has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to establish dates for shutting down the current ATSC 1.0 broadcast standard and switching signals to NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 broadcasts.
The petition lays out the NAB’s roadmap for the transition from the current standard to ATSC 3.0. It calls for the FCC to approve a Feb. 2028 sunset for the top 55 markets and the remaining stations would make the transition by Feb. 2030 and development.
NextGen TV broadcasts have been launched in markets covering about 76% of the country and have been used to launch a host of new services, including HDR feeds, Dolby Atmos and interactive services.
But most markets have limited spectrum for the full features of NextGen TV because one station typically broadcasts the 3.0 feed for the other stations in the market. That has made the switchover a particularly important issue for the future of 3.0 because it will free up spectrum for a much wider range of services, including datacasting that could produce significant new revenues.
As part of the transition, the NAB noted that “in addition to setting a timeline [for sunsetting ATSC 1.0], this transition requires updates to outdated rules. NAB is also calling on the FCC to modernize regulations governing television reception devices— ensuring consumers who buy new TVs can continue receiving broadcast programming—and to adjust MVPD carriage rules so that obligations remain fair and unchanged during the transition.”
Those changes include requiring that there be ATSC 3.0 receivers in all TV sets sold by Feb. 2028 in the U.S. and adjusting must-carry rules.
In the petition, the NAB noted that the initial results from the launch of NextGen TV “have been encouraging. Since the FCC first authorized its use in 2017, Next Gen TV has delivered stunning improvements: better picture quality with higher frame rates and high dynamic range, interactive applications that give over-the-air viewers a more personalized experience, and groundbreaking tests of a Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) that could provide a powerful backup to GPS, addressing critical vulnerabilities in national security and infrastructure. Broadcasters have launched joint ventures to bring Chairman Carr’s `Broadcast Internet’ vision to fruition. Meanwhile, consumers have embraced the future, purchasing more than 14 million television sets capable of displaying Next Gen TV. In addition, the Future of Television Initiative brought together stakeholders from across the television ecosystem with the goal of identifying the remaining challenges in completing an orderly transition to ATSC 3.0. Its findings were published in the Future of Television Initiative Report.”
“But as Chairman Carr observed last year, the whole broadcast industry is at a `break glass moment’ and the `FCC should be focused on decisions that will make it easier for broadcasters to attract the capital necessary for them to invest, compete, and serve their local communities,’” the NAB noted.
“As competitive pressures mount, completing the transition to ATSC 3.0 expeditiously is essential for the future of the industry,” the petition continued. “Without decisive and immediate action, the transition risks stalling and the realistic window for implementation could pass. Reaching the finish line requires industry-wide coordination and engagement—something individual broadcasters cannot do alone. The FCC must now establish a clear timeline to complete the transition, just as it did when the industry and consumers migrated from analog to digital.”
In response to the filing, NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt issued this statement: “Next Gen TV is already transforming the viewing experience, delivering superior picture quality, immersive audio, interactive features, hyper-localized programming and cutting-edge public safety capabilities, all while keeping local television free and accessible,. Broadcasters have invested significantly in this transition, but outdated regulations threaten to stall progress. A clear transition plan will ensure every American benefits from the full potential of Next Gen TV while also allowing broadcasters to remain competitive in a media marketplace where Big Tech operates unchecked.”
The full petition is available here.
More to come as TV Tech collects reaction to the petition.
