The National Association of Broadcasters and Sinclair have each asked the FCC not to move forward on a petition that would let low-power TV stations transmit using the 3GPP 5G Broadcast standard. The request, filed by the LPTV Broadcasters Association, is pending in MB Docket No. 26-263.
The petition asks the Commission to authorize permissive use of 5G Broadcast for LPTV stations under Part 74 of its rules. The association and its founder, Frank Copsidas, contend that converting to ATSC 3.0 is expensive for low-power stations and does not deliver the benefits 5G Broadcast could. NAB and Sinclair have been leading advocates of the move from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0, the NextGen TV standard.
A petition for rulemaking is a request that the FCC open a proceeding. Nothing changes for stations unless the Commission decides to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which would then take public comment before any final rule. The FCC has not said whether or when it will act on this petition.
LPTV and Class A operators weighing their next transmission upgrade can follow the filings in MB Docket No. 26-263 to see how the debate develops.