Local station owners affiliated with ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, backed by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), have petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to impose sweeping changes on TV manufacturers like Roku, LG, and Samsung, as reported by Lon.TV on March 25, 2025. Announced this month, the proposal demands that all new TVs include ATSC 3.0 tuners to prepare for the eventual phase-out of the older ATSC 1.0 standard, alongside forcing remote controls and user interfaces to prioritize broadcast TV—potentially upending the lucrative ad-driven designs of modern smart TVs.
The NAB’s push for mandatory ATSC 3.0 tuners aims to ensure that when ATSC 1.0 broadcasts end—potentially by 2030, per their February proposal—most TVs will already support the NextGen TV standard, which offers 4K HDR and interactive features. Currently, many budget TVs lack ATSC 3.0 tuners, a gap broadcasters fear could leave millions unable to access free over-the-air (OTA) signals post-transition. However, critics argue the mandate burdens manufacturers and consumers, especially after LG’s 2023 exit from ATSC 3.0 tuners over patent disputes with Constellation Designs, which hiked royalty costs from $3 to $6.75 per set.
Beyond hardware, the NAB wants remotes with streaming service buttons—like Netflix or Hulu—to also feature a dedicated OTA broadcast TV button. Roku’s Pro remote recently added such a button, but most smart TV remotes prioritize paid streaming apps, often as ad placements fetching manufacturers millions. Local stations also demand that user interfaces display broadcast TV sources on the first page, forcing Roku, Amazon, and LG to redesign menus.
The proposal has sparked debate yet, manufacturers counter that mandating buttons and menu changes stifles innovation and inflates costs, especially with ATSC 3.0’s rocky rollout—LG’s OLEDs often lack tuners, and many have called the movie “stalled” citing lack of 4K content and DRM issues.
The FCC, which approved voluntary ATSC 3.0 use in 2017, faces pressure as broadcasters simulcast both standards, a costly “lighthousing” setup. Now the fight over when to end the older ATSC 1.0 standard along with the fight over remotes and menus—pitting free TV’s future against local TV station push to move to newer technology. The FCC has yet to respond, but the clash signals a broader battle over TV’s digital frontier.
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