Today the FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel announced plans to try and help speed up the rollout of ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV, according to TVNewsCheck.
ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV offers the promise of 4K TV, better signal coverage, improved alerts, on-demand, and more all through your antenna. For now, though, the slow rollout has frustrated many consumers and many in the industry. Now it seems that the FCC wants to speed up that rollout.
“Today, we are announcing a public-private initiative, led by the National Association of Broadcasters, to help us work through outstanding challenges faced by industry and consumers” Rosenworcel said during a speech Monday. “This Future of Television initiative will gather industry, government, and public interest stakeholders to establish a roadmap for a transition to ATSC 3.0 that serves the public interest. A successful transition will provide for an orderly shift from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0 and will allow broadcasters to innovate while protecting consumers, especially those most vulnerable.”
To do this, the FTC plans to do three things. First, the FTC will focus on helping customers through the transition to help find compatible devices to watch ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV.
Second, the FCC wants to work with TV stations to help them speed up the rollout of ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV.
Lastly, the FCC plans to help create more clear rules about how ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV will work once the transition has been completed.
NextGen TV is already available in over half of all American Households, but it still has a long way to go to reach 100%. Some of the main hold-ups has been some FCC rules on how TV stations can transition and the ability for consumers to find affordable tuners.
For now, the FCC needs to approve this new plan, but it is expected that the FCC will soon be doing what it can to help ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV rollout nationwide.