With Thanksgiving coming up, I’m practicing my Olympic-caliber skills at dodging awkward conversations about politics, religion or when I’m going to have children. And that means having an answer to the question “what are you working on?” that does not immediately cause eyes to glaze over.
Spectrum policy is really interesting to me, but I have to accept the fact that not everyone shares my passion for more efficient modulation or how in the world 984 television stations are going to change channels in a mere 39 months (now closer to 32). So, this year, I hope to hold people’s attention a little longer celebrating the FCC’s success in setting the stage for the future of television by approving Next Generation TV.
But “what,” they ask, “is Next Gen TV?” It’s better pictures, better sound, enhanced emergency alerting with the ability to wake up TVs when there is major trouble headed your way, more interactivity, personalized programming and more. That should keep us busy for a while.
But here’s my silver bullet for when the conversation starts to turn back toward when I’m having children. Next Gen can also offer a whole new way of bringing educational programming to children. As the Association for Public Television Stations pointed out last year [1], Next Gen TV brings with it the possibility of distance learning on a customized local level. Children could get lessons and materials customized to their curriculum at home without needing a broadband connection. Educational videos could be downloaded to Next Gen TVs in non-real time to be viewed on the student’s schedule, and applications could be delivered to practice these new skills.
PBS Kids programming has proven to be very effective in improving kids’ academic scores [2]. Not to mention, its content is the most-watched educational programming out there. Low-income families in particular stand to benefit from the interactive educational features of Next Gen TV becoming available over the next several years.
And, of course, I can remind everyone that those football games are going to look even better in 4K. I’m already looking forward to dessert.
[1] APTS Ex Parte