To better support local television broadcasting, U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) joined a bipartisan contingent of more than two dozen of his colleagues in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to prioritize a faster rollout of the Next Generation Television standard, also known as ATSC 3.0.

The Next Gen TV standard technology will allow local stations to better serve their viewers with improved pictures and sound, interactive features, including expanded local news, advanced emergency alerting, and the ability to deliver to viewers the content that is most relevant to them, when they want it, where they want it, according to a March 29 letter the senators sent to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

“The Next Gen TV standard is essential to the continued vitality and competitiveness of local television broadcasters’ free, local, and trusted service in our communities,” wrote Sen. Young and his 27 colleagues, who included U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Deb Fischer (R-NE), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Brian Schatz (D-HI). 

In the nearly seven years since broadcasters and the consumer electronics industry jointly petitioned the FCC to begin a voluntary transition to ATSC 3.0, several marketplace advancements have taken place and more than 60 percent of Americans have access to Next Gen TV while other local markets continue to launch monthly, according to their letter.

However, many other markets face challenges like capital and spectrum constraints, particularly in rural and urban markets, they wrote, while at the same time, the video marketplace has become a competitive imperative for video platforms to deliver ultra-high-definition (4K) programming. 

“If broadcasters cannot compete for high-value, 4K sports programming for example, and it instead flows to tech platforms, broadcasters’ proven, decades-long investment in local news content will be undermined and, most important, viewers will lose a competitive option that is available for free over the air,” wrote Sen. Young and his colleagues. 

The senators pointed out that a successful ATSC 3.0 transition should be a priority of the FCC going forward to ensure that local broadcasters can continue to best serve their communities as a trusted source of local news.

“We urge the FCC to take an active role in addressing the complex — but eminently solvable — questions posed by the transition from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0, including working with Congress, public broadcasters, and industry to ensure consumers with legacy TVs are not harmed by any changes,” they wrote.