In February, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) asked the FCC to set a deadline for shutting down ATSC 1.0 and transitioning to ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV. Now, the FCC is seeking comments on the proposal, as well as any other potential issues that should be discussed before the transition.
The NAB suggested a two-phase plan. First, they asked that stations in the top 55 markets, which cover about 70% of U.S. households, switch to ATSC 3.0 by February 2028. The second phase would have all remaining markets make the switch before February 2030.
Comments can be submitted here, where you can also read the comments of other interested parties.
In the document seeking comments, the FCC notes that it received thousands of complaints from consumers about Digital Rights Management encryption on ATSC 3.0 signals which could block consumers from watching programming. The FCC asks “What steps can or should the industry and/or the Commission take to ensure broadcasters are able to protect their content and signal, while also ensuring viewers are able to continue to view a station’s free over-the-air signal in ATSC 3.0 just as they do today?”
Individuals and companies are also seeking comments about additional issues with moving to ATSC 3.0, specifically mentioning a few potential barriers to the transition, including:
- consumer awareness
- demand
- access to devices
- costs to broadcasters
- costs to other industry stakeholders
- costs to consumers
- regulatory obstacles
There are several other issues laid out in the document, including seeking comments on increasing flexibility for broadcasters, costs and burdens to broadcasters, and using vacant channels as temporary transition channels to deploy ATSC 3.0 service.
You can read the full Public Notice as a PDF here. Comments are due by May 7, 2025.