Six industry groups representing consumer electronics, pay-TV operators, and broadcasters have formally opposed the National Association of Broadcasters’ (NAB) petition for a mandatory transition to ATSC 3.0. This opposition was voiced during a June 27 meeting with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials and detailed in a July 1 letter to the FCC.
The stakeholders, including the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), Public Knowledge, NCTA, ACA Connects, American Television Alliance (ATVA), and LPTV Broadcasters Association, strongly object to the NAB’s February petition proposing a two-phase transition deadline. This deadline would require full-power stations in the top 55 markets to cease ATSC 1.0 simulcasting by February 2028, with the remaining markets following by February 2030.
The CTA reiterated its stance that the ATSC 3.0 transition should remain voluntary. “A mandatory transition to ATSC 3.0 would harm consumers by imposing real costs for consumers, stifling innovation, and levying unneeded regulations,” stated Brian Markwalter, CTA’s senior vice president of research and standards, and Rachel Nemeth, senior director of regulatory affairs, representing the organization at the meeting. They cited market research indicating declining over-the-air viewership as a key argument.
A Horowitz Research study showed a significant drop in homes with broadcast antenna access, from 32% in 2020 to 19% in 2025. Nielsen data further supports this, revealing that only approximately 22.75 million American households utilize over-the-air television, a small fraction of the 125 million TV households. The CTA’s retail pricing analysis also found that televisions with ATSC 3.0 tuners cost an average of $157 more than comparable models with only ATSC 1.0 tuners.
Public Knowledge expressed concerns about the A3SA certification process for ATSC 3.0 devices, viewing it as a barrier to competition. Legal Director John Bergmayer referenced the American Library Association v. FCC case, arguing that the A3SA model operates without adequate external oversight, with confidential licensing terms and opaque decision-making processes. They warned that startups and open-source projects may be excluded from the ATSC 3.0 ecosystem.
NCTA highlighted the substantial technical challenges for multichannel video programming distributors, estimating that the cost of purchasing and installing ATSC 3.0 transceivers could reach tens of millions of dollars for individual cable operators. ACA Connects added that smaller providers would face disproportionate costs, potentially leading to them abandoning linear video services, resulting in service losses in rural and smaller markets.
ATVA questioned whether ATSC 3.0 would actually improve television service, noting that the NAB has proposed allowing broadcasters to allocate over 95 percent of their broadcast spectrum to non-broadcast services. Michael Nilsson raised legal concerns about whether these services qualify as “ancillary” under existing regulations.
The LPTV Broadcasters Association, while supporting multiple broadcast standards, strongly opposes a mandatory ATSC 3.0 transition for LPTV and Class A facilities, citing the standard's underperformance after 15 years of development. President Frank Copsidas argued that if a mandate is implemented, the government or full-power broadcasters should cover the costs for smaller stations.
The coalition stressed the significant changes in the television marketplace since ATSC 3.0's development, highlighting CTA's research showing consumers' diverse video access methods. They disputed the accuracy of consensus portrayals in the FCC's Future of Television Initiative report and urged a market-based approach to ATSC 3.0 adoption, emphasizing the administration’s focus on regulatory reduction.
The FCC’s Media Bureau solicited public comment on NAB’s petition in April, and the meeting included representatives from Chairman Brendan Carr’s office, Commissioner Anna Gomez’s office, and the Media Bureau staff. The coalition’s letter was submitted electronically to the FCC on July 1.