VOICES: Chorus of Support Grows for Next-Gen TV

Posted on October 5, 2016 in ATSC News

As the ATSC 3.0 Suite of Standards moves toward finalization, the chorus of voices in support of Next-Generation TV – from Members of Congress to FCC officials, from broadcasters to trade association chiefs – continues to grow.

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Oregon)

“ATSC 3.0 is the future of this industry. Mobile is everything in our world and, certainly for broadcasters, using the spectrum in an incredibly important way.  ATSC 3.0 is a really important development.  I know that you’ve done this without being forced to do this.  You are moving down this path in a logical, thoughtful, industry-driven approach and it’s certainly is the way to go.”

Gary Shapiro, Consumer Technology Association

“I’m excited that the next-Gen TV Standard is nearing completion and proud of the major role that CTA members are playing in standards development. ATSC 3.0 will enable 4K UHD and IP (Internet Protocol) broadcasting, signals with immersive audio, mobile reception and advanced emergency alerts. We’re seeing early 3.0 momentum in Korea – with 4K broadcasts and compatible TV sets coming there in first half of 2017 in advance of 2018 Winter Olympics.”

Gordon Smith, National Association of Broadcasters

“There’s a great deal of excitement about the new next-generation broadcasting standard called ATSC 3.0.  This is the first time that the broadcast standard is going to be built on internet protocol. That’s its backbone – it will offer advantage of broadcast and broadband. I was privileged to receive a call from the chairman of the FCC… I thanked him for his willingness to put out the consideration of this standard for the future.  And he told me that as soon as gets a few more things off of his agenda, they will be taking this up, hopefully by the end of the year.  Which means that, on a voluntary basis, broadcasters will be able to transmit in 3.0 perhaps as early as next summer.”

Ajit Pai, Federal Communications Commission

“I believe it’s important for the Commission to act with dispatch. Just as the United States is leading the way on 5G in the mobile space, so too should we be at the forefront of innovation in the broadcast space…. I hope the Commission will issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on ATSC 3.0 no later than the end of this year. Put simply, the FCC should not stand in the way of innovation. Let’s allow broadcasters who wish to move forward with ATSC 3.0 pursue this pro-consumer path as quickly as possible.”

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)

“I’m glad that the FCC issued a public notice requesting feedback on this new standard, and I’m encouraging the FCC to explore this more thoroughly.  This is something I expect the [Senate] Commerce Committee will be paying very close attention to…. Next Gen TV will allow each station limitless capabilities to reach consumers in new ways. This new standard could revolutionize emergency alerts, enable free over-the-air local TV on your tablet or mobile device and create new opportunities for local programming.”

Anne Schelle, Pearl TV

“SFN (single-frequency network) capabilities provide the ability for a really robust signal to the consumer.  That means great indoor [reception], that means mobile, that means pedestrian reception when you’re walking down the street. And with datacasting, you’ll have the ability to deliver more information over-the-air, whether that’s video or information, to cars. It’s a whole new business model.

Rebecca Hanson, Sinclair Broadcast Group

“The ATSC 3.0 standard allows broadcasters to hyper-localize their content.  You can do that in the advertising area, in the news area, and also you can do it with respect to emergency alerting. For example, the originator of an alert can tag it for a subzone of the market to which you’re broadcasting.”

Posted in ATSC News