The largest owner of low-power television stations in the United States has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to allow the use of 5G Broadcast as a voluntary alternative to ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 transmission standards. It sees an opportunity to repurpose valuable UHF spectrum for use with 5G networks.
HC2 Broadcast Holdings owns 200 low-power television stations across the United States. It currently carries programming from over 60 networks.
The company, which is part of Innovate Corp, has been conducting experimental 5G Broadcast transmissions in Fort Wayne in Indiana under an experimental authorisation.
The company says that tests confirm strong signal reception for up to 20 miles from the transmitter, even while travelling at more than 60 miles an hour on the highway.
The petition proposes that low-power television stations be permitted to use the 5G Broadcast transmission standard on a voluntary basis.
While the proposal includes a requirement to deliver at least one free-to-air standard definition signal, it calls for the commission to examine whether to allow all 6 MHz of low-power television spectrum to be exclusively devoted to datacasting.
The proposal is limited to low-power television stations, mitigating any impact on the rollout of ATSC 3.0 by full power stations.
“For too long, broadcasters have been restricted by the Commission from making market-based decisions that will allow their businesses to be more viable and benefit the public,” the petition says.
The proposal acknowledges that televisions capable of receiving 5G Broadcast signals without the use of additional equipment are not yet available, although they might be eventually, depending on market conditions.
It goes on to say that “even though the concept of solely ‘in the home’ TV viewing may now be considered quaint, the marketplace of TV ‘receivers’ in today’s world is now essentially anyone with a handheld compatible 5G device, in any location”.
“5G Broadcast will over time be available to the hundreds of millions of mobile screens that already receive 5G signals, and thus consumers will already have the built-in capability to access the content that 5G LPTV broadcasters will provide.”
Effectively, HC2 is asking for permission to cease ATSC 1.0 television channels and use the spectrum for 5G Broadcast, on the assumption that this will make more valuable use of allocated spectrum.
In the current political climate, there is the possibility that such a petition could be favourably received.
The petition Authorizing permissive use of 5G Broadcast as a transmission standard for Low Power Television Stations is available on the FCC web site.