Sounds like Wheeler wants to FCC to weigh in on ATSC 3.0. I thought the
broadcasters were trying to make it happen regardless. Agree with one another
to keep both ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 simulcasting, potentially indefinitely.
Lots of different subjects covered in this article, but I was surprised to see
that Wheeler thought we weren't ready for the DTV transition? I thought it had
dragged on much longer than necessary. We may not have been ready, but we were
as ready as we ever would have been.
I think we could have had the receiver mandate in, say, 2005, and then ended
the transition by 2007. Technology and costs had reached pretty good levels by
2005. Seems to me that we could even have even met the original December 2006
date, without undue hardship.
Bert
---------------------------------
http://www.tvtechnology.com/nab-show/0026/nab-2016-wheeler-said-atsc-30-will-circulate-this-month/278523
NAB 2016: Wheeler Said ATSC 3.0 Will Circulate This Month
Reverse auction to begin in May
April 20, 2016
By Deborah D. McAdams
LAS VEGAS-Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said the
commission will take up ATSC 3.0.
"ATSC 3.0 is significant," he said. "We need to move with dispatch to get that
into the public debate. I intend to put that out for public notice before the
end of the month."
He congratulated engineers for creating 3.0, but he said policy would be
another matter.
"I've been hearing about 3.0 for a long time, and they've pulled it off
technically. The question is, you've got the technology part licked, now we've
got to figure out the impact on the market and on the consumer," he said.
The chairman spoke at the NAB Show on Wednesday with Marci Burdick, NAB board
member and former chair of Schurz Broadcasting. In addition to the ATSC 3.0
Public Notice, he said the spectrum optimization plan, which will "give us an
idea of the size and the scope of who is showing up," and the clearing target,
also will be released before the end of the month.
"We'll know the band plan, then we'll start the reverse auction in May," he
said.
"Wireless providers keep saying they need more spectrum," Wheeler said. "There
will be a very significant chunk of it before the end of the month. Then we'll
know how badly they really needed the spectrum. Then we'll find out how much
they'll bid, and if they don't bid enough, we'll do it again, and again..." He
said the auction would go through as many stages as necessary to achieve market
balance.
Wheeler previously called the auction an "extravaganza," which Burdick took to
imply that a large number of broadcasters would be participating. Meaning what,
Burdick asked. "Meaning people will show up," Wheeler replied. When she pressed
him for more information, he said, "it's bigger than a bread box."
"What's important is putting spectrum to its highest and best use through
marketplace forces. That has to be goal one, but, that should not overlook the
fact that after the final gavel goes down, that's when the work begins," he
said.
The commission needs to make sure those licensees who continue to stay in
broadcasting can go through that transition, he said.
"There has been an attitude that this is a one-and-done kind of thing when the
bidding starts. Not so. Commissioner [Ajit] Pai and I disagreed talking about
the FCC budget, when he was suggesting that the auction budget, which is
supported by the auction revenues, should be cut because the auction's over,
but the auction's not over. When the bidding is done, the heavy lifting begins."
Wheeler said he recommended delaying the DTV transition because "we weren't
ready for it."
"We're putting together a team for informing the public post auction," he said.
Burdick asked about the vacant channel plan, which would leave a UHF channel
open for unlicensed devices. He said to watch what happens in the clearing plan.
"The question of how many vacant channel instances there will be, will come
soon," he said.
The vacant channel plan concerns LPTV and translator operators, who have no
assurance of a channel in the repack. Burdick said LPTVs and dot-twos have been
important to diversifying broadcasting. She said this was even more of a reason
to wait until after the repack to take up the vacant channel plan.
Wheeler replied that LPTV folks are already raising the same types of issues
with ATSC 3.0. He said funding for post-auction activities, "may include all
stations," but did not elaborate further.
Burdick asked what assurances could be given to the broadcasters in the room
that if they cannot make their channel change within 39 months, that they would
not have to go dark. Wheeler was indefinite, but he did say that if the $1.75
billion allocated by Congress for the repack was not enough, "I'll lead the
parade to get more."
Burdick asked Wheeler if the retransmission process was broken, and he said no.
"It has worked well for a long time," he said. "Retrans has existed for more
than 20 years. A few things have changed. ATSC 3.0-what's the impact on
retrans? We're living through lots of changes."
Burdick asked why the retrans battle was so focused on broadcasters, since
cable nets have the same issues with carriers. He said the statute covers
broadcasters. Burdick said they all compete in the same arena, and viewers
don't know the difference. Burdick said that in smaller markets, there may be
fewer stations doing news, "so I think that gives rise to the importance of
exclusivity."
Wheeler did note that, "if there is a place where the internet has fallen down,
it's ultra local. And that's where [broadcasters] are."
Burdick asked about the tardy ownership reviews. Wheeler said the 2010 and 2014
reviews would be completed by June.
"There will be a proposal on the floor that will garner at least three votes,"
he said.
Burdick asks why there has not been meaningful change in ownership regulations.
Wheeler said his predecessor tried to find consensus and could not. He said
consensus on ownership regulations was difficult. Burdick asks if it will have
to be hashed out in court. Wheeler said probably not, that post-auction,
broadcasting would be a different world.
Burdick noted that millions of people listen to radio and asked Wheeler what it
saw for it in the future.
"I've got something that's portable and free. With two criteria like that,
never sell them short," he said.
Wheeler said he listens to NPR all day in his office. He's also a fan of
satellite radio and listens to Broadway show tunes. He also said the AM
revitalization had led to 500 applications for AMs to transmit on FC
frequencies, and "that speaks for itself," he said.
He also said wireless carriers increasingly are unlocking FM chips in
cellphones.
"I think the marketplace is succeeding," he said.
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