Federal Communications Commission	FCC 20-181


STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL,
CONCURRING

Re: 	Promoting Broadcast Internet Innovation through ATSC 3.0, MB Docket No. 20-145.

There is no doubt about it.  This pandemic has changed the way we live.  We’ve experienced massive shifts in our day-to-day.  So many of us are working and learning remotely.  We’re replacing in-person visits with video conferences and calls.  We’ve grown accustomed to social distancing requirements and safety protocols that were totally foreign to us just a year ago.  

	There are small shifts in our lives, too.  Like the way hand sanitizer is now ubiquitous.  Or the way that sales of holiday decorations are on the rise—a reminder that we’re all looking for a little more joy this year.  It is also apparent in the way that so many of our conversations now begin with the all-important question: “So, what are you watching?’

	It’s no wonder, really.  We’re glued to our screens like never before.  We look to them for the content we want, the news we need, and the entertainment we crave to pass the hours we are all spending at home.  Sometimes we are looking for information about this virus in our communities, sometimes we are looking to be captivated by a story about a young female chess champion, and sometimes we are just looking for the Sunday night football game.  

	While we’re doing so much watching, there is change on the horizon.  That’s because a new broadcast standard is coming to enhance our viewing.  ATSC 3.0 promises to deliver Ultra High Definition picture quality and immersive audio, along with advanced emergency alerts and new interactive services.  This is good stuff.  It could mean real innovation in broadcasting—on par with new services that have emerged on so many of the other screens around us.  

	Today’s decision is an effort to speed the day that we see these new technologies.  It adjusts long-standing broadcast policies in an effort to nod to the changes ATSC 3.0 could bring to our screens.  But as we usher in this new standard for television, we need to keep consumers front of mind.  That means in addition to updating our rules for broadcasters adopting this technology, we consider how everyone who watches will navigate this transition.  After all, ATSC 3.0 is not compatible with current television devices.  That means each of us will need to buy new television sets or new equipment.  And just saddling consumers with this expense doesn’t add up.  

There comes a point—and I think we’re getting there fast—where we can no longer afford to ignore this issue.  We need to do more to figure out how we can help viewers reach this next generation of television technology.  For this reason, I choose to concur.
2