FCC Expected to Vote on ATSC 3.0 DTS Order by Year-End
The FCC is expected to vote on an order on ATSC 3.0 distributed transmission systems (see 2007140047) by year-end, an agency official told us after Commissioner Brendan Carr referenced ongoing work on the item in prerecorded remarks for Monday's virtual NextGen Broadcast Conference. The FCC is working “on a proceeding to expand the use of single-frequency networks, which will ultimately help 3.0 reach its full potential,” Carr said. The proposed changes to the interference rules in the DTS proceeding would allow expanded use of single-frequency networks, which ATSC 3.0 advocates said is important for the new standard's future.
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The DTS proceeding in docket 20-74 recently had a burst of activity, with filings from Pearl TV, One Media and Microsoft seeking clarity on the proposed rules or urging that an order be approved quickly. The agency hasn’t announced the November or December meeting agendas, but a blog post from Chairman Ajit Pai on the November items is expected Tuesday. The FCC’s approach to ATSC 3.0 “appears to be working,” said Carr at the conference, adding that the agency should continue to be vigilant about “regulatory overhang.”
Broadcasters and ATSC 3.0 supporters will shortly announce a program intended to help educate consumers and the public about the new standard, said Fox Television Stations Executive Vice President-Engineering, Operations and Technology Richard Friedel. Stations launched by Fox will have NAB- and Fox-provided promotional material to help inform consumers about 3.0 and what it can do, he said. The ideal “end state” would be for ATSC 3.0 converters to be “the new AOL disc” -- ubiquitous and cheaply available to consumers, said Edge Networks CEO Todd Achilles.
The rollout is progressing fast, but broadcasters are still working out the kinks on ATSC 3.0, said many panelists. “We’re very lucky to have pictures and sound,” said Friedel. “We’ve made it easy for the ones who follow.” Dealing with the regulatory aspect of the ATSC 3.0 transition has so far been more difficult than the technical side, said Nexstar CTO Brett Jenkins on a panel Monday, citing requirements on notifying MVPDs, applying for licenses and drawing up channel sharing arrangements.
Broadcasters should give MVPDs in their markets ample notice of a coming transition, said Cox Communications Executive Director-Strategic Technology Policy Steve Watkins. “Give as much advance notice as possible, not just the FCC filing,” Watkins said. There are technical considerations for how an MVPD accommodates broadcasters sharing channels and combining 1.0 and 3.0 streams that require time to address, he said.
An ATSC 3.0-capable mobile phone is the real “killer app” for the standard, said Sinclair Senior Vice President-Advanced Technology Mark Aitken. When broadcasters that have embraced the new standard begin to make money, many more will follow, he said, comparing the technology to a gold rush. The phone will be “a game-changer” for the standard, and not just in the U.S., Aitken said. On a separate panel, Shashi Vempati, CEO of India public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, also cited mobile phones as an important application of ATSC 3.0 in that country. The ATSC committee has been working on projects on the spread of the standard there, ATSC President Madeleine Noland said.