The President and CEO of the NAB has criticised tech companies for failing to include broadcast-capable chips in their mobile devices.
Delivering the organisation’s annual State of the Industry address at the 2019 NAB Show, Gordon Smith showed delegates an attachment that added ATSC 3.0 capability (see separate story) to a standard mobile device.
The add-on allows broadcast content to be viewed on a mobile or tablet.
“While this attachment is great, what we would really love to see is a chip built into mobile devices to give consumers this technology,” Smith said. “But to date, manufacturers, Apple being one, refuse to enable broadcast chips in their devices.”
Quoting recent remarks by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, Smith said the big tech companies had bulldozed competition and stifled innovation. “I wonder if this growing tech power is one of the reasons why this consumer benefit is being held back by the manufacturers,” he continued.
Smith called for the modernisation of “outdated” broadcast regulations that would allow local broadcasters to compete on a level playing field with the larger tech and pay-TV companies to “better ensure that broadcast journalism can flourish”.
Regulation, he said, should be increased to ensure the companies could use their market power to stifle competition and the financial viability of local news.
