A proposal to transition America’s television broadcasters from the current digital standard to NextGen TV would allow television stations to decide when to shut off their current digital signals, according to documents reviewed by The Desk.

As part of a forthcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will advocate for removing regulatory obstacles that prevent most licensed TV stations from switching their signals from the current standard — known as ATSC 1.0 — to NextGen TV, which uses ATSC 3.0 broadcast signals paired with broadband Internet technology.

The NPRM would allow TV stations to decide for themselves “when to stop broadcasting in 1.0 and start broadcasting exclusively in 3.0,” according to FCC documents. It would also allow TV stations to maintain an ATSC 1.0 simulcast when they launch a NextGen TV signal, but with “fewer restrictions and requirements on the 1.0 version of their signal.”

Under current regulations, broadcasters are allowed to launch all of their signals on NextGen TV, but must simulcast their main channel — typically an affiliate of ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC or the CW Network — on ATSC 1.0. The requirement is intended to ensure Americans with existing digital equipment can still receive major network programming and local news while the industry transitions itself on a voluntary basis.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the commercial TV industry’s main lobbying organization, earlier petitioned the FCC to push for a hard transition from ATSC 1.0 to NextGen TV, with all stations switching by 2030. Under the NAB’s proposal, some major market stations would switch their signals two years earlier. The proposal doesn’t advocate for a program that helps Americans buy new TV sets or tuner boxes to receive NextGen TV signals, similar to the analog-to-digital conversion that took place more than a decade ago.

Those issues, and others, are likely to come up as part of the FCC’s intention to issue an NPRM, as the process would include a period of public comments. This week, the FCC said it wants to receive public comments on a number of topics that could be impacted by a switch from ATSC 1.0 to NextGen TV, including emergency alerts, accessibility, options to offset consumer costs and consumer privacy.

While the NPRM is intended to lessen the effects of regulation on the broadcast TV industry, it also suggests more-onerous regulations on other parts of the business, including new rules on pay TV providers and hardware manufacturers. Specifically, the FCC is interested in whether it should require new smart TVs to have NextGen TV-compatible tuners when they are sold after a specific time — currently, all TVs sold in the U.S. must have ATSC 1.0 tuners — and whether cable and satellite operators should be required to ingest NextGen TV signals as part of their commitments to carry local TV stations.

The FCC will vote on the NPRM during its open meeting later this month. If approved, the proposals would be subject to a public comment period that lasts at least 60 days after the NPRM is published in the federal register, though that could be delayed if the current federal government shutdown is extended for several weeks.

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