A Standing Ovation for the FCC!
An Opinion Piece by SuperFrank
Recently, the newsletter, NCS, published an analysis of the FCC’s notice on ATSC 3.0. Their article opens with:
The Federal Communications Commission’s October 7 notice on ATSC 3.0 is notable less for what it proposes than for what it refuses to decide.
The commission has produced a document that illuminates a basic problem: it no longer knows how to regulate the spectrum allocated for public use.
I could not disagree more. Yes, this analysis could have been true 30 years ago when the broadcast industry started the transition from analog to digital. Remember where the internet was back then? It was only in 1994 that we heard that voice burned into our memories, “You’ve got mail.” It would be a full decade later when the internet started to truly integrate into our daily lives.
My point is, times have changed. The world has moved on. We all know delivery of linear content is quickly becoming a past time except for live sports, breaking news, religious programming, niche ethnic, and highly specialized programming. The days of watching prime time programming is like a beautiful sunset, except there is no sunrise.
The FCC is truly in control of regulating spectrum in today’s ever-changing world. Move forward three decades and the landscape has evolved with broadcast standards including ATSC 3.0 and the first worldwide broadcast standard, 5G Broadcast. Along with ATSC 1.0 and the reality of consumers not taking to ATSC 3.0, the FCC has faced the reality of the times, not the perception the broadcast industry would like it to take.
The FCC also recognized the attempt of ATSC 3.0 private stakeholders to "regulate" free over the air television using certificates with annual fees. The private entities would then "regulate" who would be able to watch any content.
A mandatory rule to force ATSC 3.0 by 2028? Given that theanalog to digital transformation took well over a decade, with government subsidy, the idea that the nation will adapt so quickly is pure fantasy. LPTV would like nothing more than a mandatory ATSC 3.0 transition for Full Power stations as it leaves 80% or more of today’s televisions with tuners only able to receive ATSC 1.0 for LPTV to service. Thank you!
Which brings us to tuners and making it mandatory that manufacturers include ATSC 3.0 tuners in their receivers. This is another hope that is not based in reality. Why? Manufacturers can switch to simply selling monitors without tuners, thus lowering import duties and saving money on the cost of installing tuners. Consumer demand for televisions with tuners is virtually non-existent, an old school feature. The result of the removal of a tuner would be that consumers would need to buy a set top box to receive ATSC 3.0 or ATSC 1.0 for that matter and the manufacturers would have a greater margin not having to spend on including tuners. With waning demand for linear broadcast television and cable television quickly becoming a memory like 8 track tapes, what is the motivation for consumers to buy an external box to receive these broadcasts?
We applaud the FCC in addressing the world as it is today, acknowledging the growth and ways consumers consume content. In the next year, the 5G Broadcast standard will be able to transmit directly into smartphones, but more importantly, save lives with emergency alerts, particularly when cell service goes down. If deployed, 5G Broadcast could have saved lives in the Texas floods with lifesaving alerts directly into currently used smartphones. This ability is called progress and innovation. The FCC deserves a standing ovation for its ability to look at the future with a perspective based on reality, not the heartwarming memories of an era gone by.