http://www.tvtechnology.com/atsc3/0031/fcc-greenlights-atsc-30/280420
FCC Greenlights ATSC 3.0
Commission approves voluntary adoption of next-gen TV broadcast transmission
standard
February 23, 2017
By Deborah D. McAdams
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission today voted unanimously to
allow broadcasters to voluntarily deploy the emerging "next-generation"
television transmission standard known as ATSC 3.0. (See the component
standards comprising ATSC 3.0 in the pop-out sidebar at right.)
"Imagine a world in which TV broadcasts of your favorite show or new programs
were delivered in Ultra High Definition and immersive audio. Imagine a world in
which programming was hyperlocalized and broadcasters could delivery niche
content to specific geographic areas within a station's signal areas. Imagine a
world that offered Americans with disabilities far better accessibility options
for experiencing broadcast television. Imagine a world in which every consumer
smartphone could serve as an over-the-air programming device," said Chairman
Ajit Pai in his prepared statement, enumerating a few of the capabilities of
ATSC 3.0.
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn said she supported the proposal, but that she
still had questions about the transition to ATSC 3.0, including how small
stations that don't adopt 3.0 would be affected, as well as the cost to
consumers, since there will be no converter-box subsidy like the one
implemented in the 2006 digital transition.
"What this proposed rulemaking makes clear is that plenty of outstanding
questions remain, particularly as it relates to consumers, pay TV providers, as
well as broadcasters who chose not to upgrade to the new standard," she said.
The vote was in response to an April, 13, 2016, petition by broadcast and
consumer electronics lobbies that broadcasters be allowed to adopt and deploy
ATSC 3.0 on a voluntary and market-driven basis. Petitioners's requested
approval for just the foundational components of standard, which now comprises
19 individual component standards with possibly one or two more on the way.
The commission's Feb. 2 ATSC 3.0 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, voted on today,
was limited to A/321, "System Discovery and Signaling," aka the bootstrap
layer, which provides a universal entry point for the signal into the broadcast
waveform, like the door on a Metro bus picking up passengers. The commission
also approved A/322, "Physical Layer Protocol," which describes the radio
frequency transmission of physical layer waveform in a way that supports
flexible configurations for possible future uses, i.e., stuff no one has
thought of yet that might be achievable over a broadcast infrastructure with a
technology that hasn't yet been invented.
Today's vote was just the start, as the NPRM remains open for comment, but it
frees up broadcasters to retrofit facilities for 3.0 during the upcoming
post-incentive auction channel repack.
Dennis Wharton, executive vice president of communications for the National
Association of Broadcasters-one of the petitioners-offered the following
statement
"NAB commends the FCC and Chairman Pai for taking the first step towards
approving the voluntary adoption of next-gen TV. This innovative broadcast
transmission standard offers free and local TV viewers the promise of
higher-quality pictures and sound, mobile viewership, datacasting and
lifesaving interactive emergency information. With support from television
manufacturers, public TV stations and the public safety community, NAB looks
forward to next-gen TV's giant leap into broadcasting's bright future."
Jerald Fritz, executive vice president of ONE Media, the subsidiary created by
Sinclair Broadcast Group to develop and deploy ATSC 3.0, provided the following
response to the FCC vote:
"We're delighted that the commission has begun the formal process of approving
use of this revolutionary capacity for broadcasters with the significant
commitment of Chairman Pai to move quickly to final rules. The opportunities
opened are immense, and we'd like to begin providing these enhanced services to
our viewers as quickly as possible. The convergence of next-gen deployment and
the broadcast station repack marks both a practical and strategic relaunch of
the broadcast business model."
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