Federal Communications Commission FCC 20-43 STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER GEOFFREY STARKS Re: Rules Governing the Use of Distributed Transmission System Technologies, MB Docket No. 20-74; Authorizing Permissive Use of the “Next Generation” Broadcast Television Standard, GN Docket No. 16-142. It is clear that the technological transformation to next generation television will be powered by the ATSC 3.0 broadcasting standard approved by the Commission for voluntary use in 2017. For that reason, I support seeking comment in this Notice on whether the expanded use of a distributed transmission system (DTS) in conjunction with the deployment of ATSC 3.0 can enhance broadcasters’ ability to serve hard-to-reach viewers, improve indoor and mobile reception, and use TV spectrum more efficiently. At the same time, we cannot ignore or downplay assertions that modifications to the DTS rules to accommodate ATSC 3.0 deployment may be premature. I therefore appreciate revisions made in the Notice to better reflect technical issues raised in the record that should be resolved before we decide if modifying the DTS rules is necessary or appropriate at this time. Thanks to the Media Bureau and other staff for your work on this item. 2