The Latest Threat to Local TV Channels

At the recent National Association of Broadcasters Convention in Las Vegas, broadcasters reached a consensus that “ATSC 1.0 Must Go!”  Among those involved, one of the most vocal opponents of the current digital TV broadcast format is Sinclair Broadcast Group, the former owner of central Illinois stations WICS and WICD.

ATSC 1.0 is now over 20 years old and has served over-the-air TV viewers well. Certainly, the quality of the video signal is considerably better than the previous NTSC signal, developed in the mid-1940s. This site has been introducing visitors to the newer, non-compatible ATSC 3.0 digital format, also known as NextGen TV, for several years. So far, both have been operating simultaneously for at least a couple of years.

The number of TV markets broadcasting ATSC 3.0 has been growing ever since, with only the Peoria, Quincy, and Terre Haute markets not broadcasting the new format. So far, even though NextGen TV promises many features, most stations have used only a couple. To benefit from them, viewers will also need an internet connection.

As I reported a few months ago, the FCC has been pressured to set a date for the discontinuation of ATSC 1.0. So far, no decision has been announced. Now another interested party has come up in favor of it being eliminated much sooner than later. The argument from Sinclair and others, including this “interested party,” is that the full benefits of ATSC 3.0 would be realized only after ATSC 1.0 is discontinued.

The sunset of ATSC 1.0 will bring changes to your local TV station viewing, especially if you’re watching by your own antenna, whether it’s on a tower, on your roof, in your attic, on your wall, or on a nearby table. Right now, the percentage of TV receivers capable of receiving ATSC 3.0 is minimal. To convert a non-equipped TV would require a converter box, similar to what we all had with the ATSC 1.0 digital signal, change-over 20 years ago!  Plus, you would need one with the software that links to your broadband internet service and your TV, and descrambles the local TV station. Right now, the only TV station that scrambles its NextGen TV signal is WCIA from the WICD tower between Champaign and Danville. There are also many claims from viewers that ATSC 3.0 won’t allow DVR recording of programming, but I have no experience with that issue.

Remember the “interested party” I referred to above? It’s Landover Saturn 5 LLC, owned by Laurence Zimmerman, a longtime wireless industry leader. His company has filed a petition with the FCC seeking a rulemaking to repurpose UHF channels 28-36 in a block of low-band spectrum for 5G and future 6G uses.

That would force local broadcasters to move from channels 28 through 36 to lower channels, and force many to evacuate the broadcast band entirely. Across Mid-Illinois, those channels in that piece of the spectrum include WCIA (channel 34), WICD (channel 32), WAND translators in Jacksonville (channel 29) and Effingham (channel 33), as well as some lower-powered UHF stations broadcasting independent boutique networks.

The reason is the same for most things that happen: money. Landover Saturn 5 LLC says it can generate more than twice as much money for the federal government as the FCC’s Auction a few years ago, up to $15 billion! It may be the Trump FCC that decides. Watch for large campaign donations to those in influential positions, including those in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The big question is this: do broadcasters want to do another “repack” exercise, and I might add, a rather expensive one??

When I first got into broadcasting, the first rule I learned was “that the airwaves belong to the people.” Your benefit has always been the ability to receive broadcast signals with no obligation. There have been exceptions, of course, with the scrambling of over-the-air signals back in the early days of pay TV, mostly to “protect” viewers from objectionable programming. Cable TV and satellite TV are exempt from that.

So, if Landover Saturn 5 LLC wants to take over this current broadcast spectrum, when can you and I expect our check?