WASHINGTON, D.C.—A bipartisan group of 27 U.S. senators, led by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Todd Young (R-IN), have sent a letter today to Federal Communications chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel urging the Commission to take an active role in expediting the continued rollout of the Next Generation TV, aka ATSC 3.0 standard.
“A successful ATSC 3.0 transition should be a priority of the FCC going forward to ensure that local broadcasters can continue to best serve their communities as a trusted source of local news,” the letter said.
“Just as the FCC has successfully championed other innovative technologies like 5G, Wi-Fi, and the 2009 digital TV transition, we believe there is an essential role for the FCC in helping broadcasters and viewers fully realize the potential of Next Gen TV,” the Senators wrote. “We urge the FCC to take an active role in addressing the complex – but imminently solvable – questions posed by the transition from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0, including working with Congress, public broadcasters, and industry to ensure consumers with legacy TVs are not harmed by any changes.”
The Senate letter also warned that failure to act could have dire consequences for broadcasters
“The Next Gen TV standard is essential to the continued vitality and competitiveness of local television broadcasters’ free, local, and trusted service in our communities,” the Senators noted. “Already, more than 60% of Americans have access to Next Gen TV. And, while local markets continue to launch every month, many outstanding markets face challenges like capital and spectrum constraints, particularly in rural and urban markets, respectively. At the same time, the video marketplace has evolved, and it is now a competitive imperative for video platforms to deliver ultra-high-definition (4K) programming. If broadcasters cannot compete for high-value, 4K sports programming for example, and it instead flows to tech platforms, broadcasters’ proven, decades-long investment in local news content will be undermined and, most important, viewers will lose a competitive option that is available for free over the air.”
In January meetings with the FCC and in a subsequent letter to the FCC, the NAB had urged the agency to help speed up the transition to NextGen TV and warned in similar language that a slow rollout could imperil local media.
“Local broadcasters thank Sens. Schatz, Young and their colleagues for encouraging the FCC to use their platform to make the transition to ATSC 3.0 a reality for viewers across the country,” said NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt in response to the Senate letter. “NAB is proud of the progress broadcasters have made transitioning to Next Gen TV, especially given spectrum constraints and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the FCC’s championing of ATSC 3.0 is critical to ensure a successful transition to this groundbreaking technology. We thank these local broadcast advocates in the Senate for ensuring all Americans have access to quality local news, information and entertainment.”
In addition to Senators Young and Schatz, Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) also joined the letter.
The full letter is available here.
