By: Emily Gomes and Alison Martin
ATSC 3.0 is redefining television, bringing 4K ultra-high-definition video, immersive audio and interactive features that let viewers dive deeper into content than ever before. For consumers and broadcasters alike, it’s a game-changer, offering cutting-edge tools for emergency alerts, targeted advertising and public interest programming – all while delivering the premium experience today’s audiences demand. These innovations will help local television stations compete and thrive in the rapidly evolving digital media landscape and preserve the community focus and accessibility that have been a hallmark of free, over-the-air television.
The Future of Television Initiative (FOTVI) convened broadcasters, equipment manufacturers, multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) and public interest advocates under the FCC and NAB’s leadership to ensure that key issues are addressed as we make this transformative shift. Through its working groups, the initiative tackled key issues including backward compatibility, consumer readiness and the technical and regulatory hurdles of completing the transition to ATSC 3.0. Over the course of a year, participants met regularly to surface issues that will help accelerate the Commission’s work on the transition.
The FOTVI report released today captures the working groups’ discussions on the issues and highlights consensus recommendations to both industry and the FCC to ensure a smooth transition. This includes exploring market-based and other solutions to minimize the cost to consumers of ATSC 3.0 equipment, ramping up consumer education on the benefits of ATSC 3.0 and encouraging further collaboration between MVPDs and broadcasters and within industry standards bodies to resolve MVPD carriage concerns. The report will provide the FCC with a better understanding of stakeholders’ outstanding issues and concerns as it moves forward with the rulemakings necessary to complete the transition and will help focus the efforts of industry as they continue to deploy ATSC 3.0.
NAB is proud to have driven this collaborative effort and is eager to continue working with the FCC, broadcasters and other industry and public interest stakeholders to bring the ATSC 3.0 transition across the finish line. Although issues remain, we believe that the Commission should move expeditiously to usher in this industry-wide transition. In particular, the FCC should seek comment on establishing a transition timeline to help align stakeholder efforts, provide the certainty needed to expand access to affordable receiver devices, drive robust consumer education initiatives, foster the growth of innovative ATSC 3.0 content and ensure readiness across the industry and among consumers. Broadcasters have already begun to offer ATSC 3.0 services in more than 75 markets, covering over 75% of U.S. households. Now is the time to harness this momentum and complete the transition, ensuring that all consumers continue to have access to high quality, free and local over-the-air television.
We are grateful to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel for initiating this process and look forward to working with incoming Chairman Brendan Carr to complete this essential transition.
