A coalition of 13 conservative organizations has formally opposed the National Association of Broadcasters’ (NAB) petition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandating ATSC 3.0 adoption. They argue that market forces, not government intervention, should determine the technology's future.
Their July 10 filing, spearheaded by Americans for Tax Reform and including groups like Digital Liberty, the Innovation Economy Alliance, and Citizens Against Government Waste, emphasizes the current voluntary adoption's success. “More than three out of every four Americans have access to ATSC 3.0,” the coalition stated in their letter to the FCC. “It is available in more than 80 markets in parallel to ATSC 1.0 technology delivering digital television.”
This opposition adds fuel to the ongoing debate surrounding Next Generation Television technology. The NAB's petition pushed for mandatory adoption timelines due to perceived coverage gaps. The conservative coalition, however, views this as an attempt to leverage regulatory power to address a market competition issue. “NAB effectively asks the FCC to do their job for them by mandating ATSC adoption in the remaining markets to reach the untapped 25 percent or so of the population,” their filing asserts.
The groups argue that broadcasters “would rather use the government to limit genuine competition by forcing their competitors to adopt their standards, ironically in the name of ‘competition.’" Their stance aligns with the FCC’s 2017 authorization of ATSC 3.0, which favored a "voluntary, market-driven basis" for adoption. They believe this approach has proven effective and should continue.
The filing reflects broader industry tensions regarding ATSC 3.0 deployment. While the technology boasts enhanced features like 4K resolution and improved audio, adoption rates vary across markets. Broadcasters cite economic challenges and technical complexities as hurdles. The conservative groups view this through a broader regulatory lens, describing broadcasters as “a legacy technology that was saddled with a steep regulatory burden back when that was in vogue in the mid-20th Century.” They advocate for deregulation to address competitive challenges. “The solution now is to deregulate and allow genuine market competition to dictate which technologies survive and thrive,” the coalition argues. “This is precisely what the FCC did in 2017 with the original ATSC 3.0 order.”
This opposition significantly escalates the debate, adding an ideological dimension to technical and economic arguments. Prior opposition mainly came from industry groups representing cable operators and satellite providers. The coalition comprises established Washington advocacy organizations and regional groups, including signatories like Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist and executives from state-level policy institutes. Two individuals also signed independently. The FCC hasn't announced a timeline for its response, but its decision will heavily influence both ATSC 3.0 deployment and broader regulatory approaches to emerging broadcast technologies.