Key Points:
- The LPTV Broadcasters Association told the FCC that a mandatory ATSC 3.0 transition could force small stations off the air due to prohibitive costs.
- The group warned that certification fees and digital security requirements tied to ATSC 3.0 disproportionately benefit major networks while burdening low-power operators.
- The filing urged the FCC to exempt low-power stations from any mandate or establish subsidies to prevent reduced free, over-the-air TV access.
The Low Power TV Broadcasters Association (LPTVBA) is urging federal regulators not to force small broadcasters to switch to the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard, warning that the financial burden could drive many stations off the air.
In a filing submitted last Friday to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the trade group said excessive costs associated with ATSC 3.0 — also known as NextGen TV — “may prove unaffordable for many small stations, potentially forcing many smaller TV broadcasters to go out of business, further eroding truly free OTA TV.”
“LPTV licensees do not wish to be mandated to convert facilities to ATSC 3.0,” the group wrote. “We strongly believe that TV broadcast facilities should be able to use any standard that best serves the public interest of their communities, be it ATSC 1.0, ATSC 3.0 or 5G Broadcast.”
The FCC is currently scrutinizing a proposal that, if passed, would require all TV stations to flash cut from the current broadcast standard to NextGen TV within the next five years. Under the proposal, stations in the country’s biggest TV markets will transition by 2028, while the rest will move to NextGen TV by 2030.
Low power, translator, and Class A television stations represent around 75 percent of all licensed broadcasters in the U.S. While the LPTVBA acknowledges ATSC 3.0 provides significant upgrades like targeted advertising and better picture quality, it raised concerns over vague certification fees tied to the new standard.
“This lack of transparency allows proponents to tout ATSC 3.0’s benefits — better quality, interactivity — without addressing how it financially burdens small players and enriches the large players with the licensing fees,” the filing said. “This ‘under the radar’ approach masks the David-and-Goliath situation, with the majority of the major full power owners holding all the cards, and everyone else will have to pay to play.”
The association also objected to security requirements that mandate “signal signing” through encrypted certificates administered by the A3SA, an entity formed by major networks including four of the biggest TV broadcast networks and industry group Pearl TV.
“The transition to ATSC 3.0 already imposes significant costs on broadcasters: new encoders, transmitters, and infrastructure can run $300,000 or more per site for even basic setups,” the filing said. “But the A3SA/Eon certificates add[s] an additional ongoing expense…for LPTV, these costs could be prohibitive.”
The group asked the FCC to require full disclosure of certification costs, exempt low-power stations from any ATSC 3.0 mandate, or establish subsidies to help cover expenses.
“Without intervention, ATSC 3.0’s promise may come at the expense of the very freedom it claims to enhance,” the filing concluded.
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