Federal Communications Commission	"FCC  XX-XXX"


STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL,
APPROVING IN PART, DISSENTING IN PART

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.

The way we get news and information is changing.  But when we are looking for the facts about what is happening in our communities, so many of us turn to our local broadcasters.  During this pandemic they have provided an especially important public service, keeping us informed about public safety measures, school closures, and healthcare initiatives.  They have had to innovate to meet the needs of their viewers, consistent with the public interest.  That same spirit of innovation informs our work in this decision.  We update Federal Communications Commission rules for distributed transmission systems, broadly allowing for expanded use of these systems to help extend the reach of broadcast signals.  While I appreciate the effort to modernize our policies, I would have preferred a more fine-tuned approach that would have allowed us to better gauge the effects of these systems on other services that use these airwaves, including low-power television stations and broadband devices using white spaces.  By not choosing to do so here the agency could be needlessly restricting new broadband services even where there are no broadcast signals to protect.  This strikes me as perverse.  In addition, we create ambiguities about what level of protection different signals may be entitled to under the new rules, which could harm investment in new services going forward.  So along with Commissioner Starks I proposed an alternative approach to unlock the potential of distributed transmission systems by using expedited waivers.  Regrettably, that request was denied so I choose to dissent in part.
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