The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says its prepared to authorise the ATSC 3.0 next generation transmission standard alongside current ATSC 1.0 transmissions.
The Commission’s new chairman is Ajit Pai, nominated last week by President Trump, whose views on net neutrality already have brought controversy.
ATSC 3.0 is likely to be less controversial; it has been developed by broadcasters with the to merging the capabilities of over-the-air broadcasting with the broadband viewing and information delivery methods of the Internet, using the same 6 MHz channels presently allocated for DTV. In many ways a US combination of ultra high definition delivery and the HbbTV protocol popularised in much of Europe
The three layers of the ATSC 3.0 standard are the physical layer, the management and protocols layer, and the applications and presentation layer.
Advances in technology mean ATSC will provide more robust outdoor and mobile reception.
In any transition broadcasters will be required to carry ATSC 1.0 signals, but not the new ATSC 3.0.
Last April, America’s Public Television Stations, the Advanced Warning and Response Network (AWARN) Alliance, the Consumer Technology Association, and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) filed a joint petition for rulemaking asking the Commission to allow local television stations to adopt the Next Gen TV broadcast transmission standard, ATSC 3.0, on a voluntary, market-driven basis.
