Current (https://current.org/tag/atsc-3-0/)
PBS North Carolina and WHUT in Washington, D.C., among others, can leverage ATSC 3.0 technology to provide geotargeted emergency alerts.
PMVG will use the Knight grant to further adoption of ATSC 3.0 among public media stations and to explore how it might generate income.
In a Q&A, lawyers Melodie Virtue and Brad Deutsch discuss what’s next for pubcasters experimenting with ATSC 3.0 and what questions are still too new to even have answers yet.
An agreement between KET and Public Media Connect is the first in which separately owned public broadcasting networks are cooperating on an ATSC 3.0 launch.
Stations are continuing to reinforce their datacasting efforts as the initial urgency of the pandemic has given way to longer-term planning.
An FCC loophole is causing problems for stations that want to join marketwide launches of the new broadcast technology.
“As viewers and set manufacturers and datacasting companies see this moving into the largest television market in the country … that’s going to make people pay more attention to the NextGen transition,” said Bob Feinberg, VP of business development.
Pizzi’s consulting position with PMVG is actually a return to a group he played a role in forming.
“Our goal as a nonprofit is to make enriching digital resources available to as many people as possible even if they don’t have broadband,” said Information Equity Initiative CEO Erik Langner.
WHUT’s broadcast signal will get new equipment and a power boost to serve as the ATSC 3.0 host station, carrying not only its own programming but streams from four major commercial stations.
“We were most focused on reflecting the fact that what we’re building and operating are shared infrastructure platforms that are meant to serve the entire broadcast industry,” said President Erik Langner.
We discuss these technologies with Steve Bass, CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Proponents remain bullish about the technology’s prospects but see plenty of challenges in the year ahead for public broadcasters.
The commission didn’t give public broadcasters everything they wanted, but a Jan. 19 decision paves the way for implementing distributed transmission systems that will aid ATSC 3 rollouts.
The commission is giving noncommercial TV stations a break on several rules and fees, a move that public broadcasters hope will lead to increased datacasting opportunities.
The state government has invested $3.5 million in a digital multicast and streaming service that provides K–12 instruction.
Advocates are challenging a requirement that stations pay the FCC 5% of revenue from “ancillary or supplementary services,” which they say could hamper adoption of ATSC 3.0.
A new alliance with American Tower gives PMG access to more than 40,000 towers around the country where it could potentially locate booster transmitters for future SFN systems.
The business consortium of 31 public broadcasters is adding an advocacy voice in Washington.
Pubcasters didn’t get everything they wanted, but America’s Public Television Stations COO Lonna Thompson said the commission’s solution for simulcasting difficulties is “generous and fair.”