The broadcast industry is pressing federal regulators to establish a clear timeline for completing the ATSC 3.0 transition. Major broadcast groups warn that ongoing uncertainty is hindering device manufacturing and consumer adoption.
In an August 25 meeting with Federal Communications Commission staff, representatives from Pearl TV and the ATSC 3.0 Security Authority (A3SA) emphasized that manufacturers are waiting for regulatory certainty before committing to full-scale production of NextGen TV devices. “All parts of the broadcast ecosystem – from CE manufacturers to developers of converter boxes to retailers and smaller market broadcasters – are waiting for a signal from the FCC that there is a plan to bring the transition to ATSC 3.0 to an end,” stated Gerard Waldron of Covington and Burling, counsel for Pearl TV, in a filing with the commission.
The meeting included Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV; Joe St. Jean, managing director of A3SA; and Rob Folliard of Gray Media, Pearl’s board chair. Pearl TV represents major broadcast groups including Cox Media Group, Graham Media Group, Gray Media, Hearst Television, E.W. Scripps Company, Sinclair, and Tegna. A3SA has licensed its content security system, resulting in over 15 million receivers in the market. St. Jean explained that A3SA developed the first ATSC 3.0 content protection system, enabling content delivery to both connected and unconnected devices. The system supports emergency alerts even when internet connectivity is lost.
Industry representatives urged the FCC to advance a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking incorporating proposals from the National Association of Broadcasters’ rulemaking petition. They argued that gateway solutions and conversion devices remain underdeveloped due to manufacturers’ reluctance to invest without knowing when the transition period will conclude. “The main challenge facing these companies is the uncertainty as to when the transition will end which necessarily holds back their commitment to develop and manufacture dongles and similar conversion devices,” the filing stated.
Meanwhile, ATSC has been educating commissioners about the technical capabilities of the 3.0 standard. In an August 12 presentation, ATSC President Madeleine Noland and Board Chairman John Taylor outlined the standard’s advantages. ATSC noted that backward-compatible systems have proven insufficient, pointing to similar transitions in other countries like Brazil’s “TV 3.0” system and Europe’s adoption of DVB-T2.
The organization, representing about 140 members, emphasized its technical neutrality in regulatory matters. “ATSC represents the technology. ATSC does not advocate a particular regulatory direction,” the presentation noted. Current ATSC 3.0 deployment information is available through the organization’s website.