Articles & Resources

U.S. will launch $3.2 billion temporary broadband subsidy May 12

April 29, 2021: The Federal Communications Commission said it will launch on May 12 a temporary $3.2 billion program to provide lower-income Americans with discounts on monthly internet service and on purchasing laptops or tablet computers.

Who Needs Roku? YouTube Already Dominates Worldwide Video

April 28, 2021: Who Needs Roku? YouTube Already Dominates Worldwide Video

Satellite TV: Five Years, That’s All You’ve Got

April 28, 2021: One chapter (satellite TV) closes as another (streaming) opens

How local TV stations plan to remain relevant as viewers shift to streaming

April 24, 2021: Broadcast station groups need to plan for a streaming era world where retransmission fee growth eventually declines

Comcast Touts 4G Speeds from DOCSIS 4 Device

April 22, 2021: Said successful test demonstrates HFC can deliver on high-speed promises

APTS, PBS Back FCC’s Efforts to Increase False Emergency Alert Reports

April 21, 2021: Public TV believes that the PBS WARN System can assist in the reporting of false emergency alerts

Verizon C-Band Plans Detailed, Service to be Known

as 5G Ultra Wideband

April 19, 2021: Verizon plans to use the 5G Ultra Wideband name for the service that the company expects to begin offering in the first quarter of 2022 using C-band spectrum.

SpaceX Sees a $72 Billion U.S. Market for Starlink Internet

April 18, 2021: The bigger this market gets, the more popular Starlink's IPO will become

Univision and Televisa Team Up To Form Spanish-Language Media Giant

April 13, 2021: Televisa will own 45% stake in new company, Wade Davis to be CEO

Sinclair Launches ATSC 3.0 Test Site; Partners With Fraunhofer on Mondiale Service Integration

April 13, 2021: A key goal of the site is to test ATSC 3.0 reception on small devices and use of Digital Radio Mondiale

How Will AI And The Cloud Impact The Future Of Content Management?

April 13, 2021: Widespread remote production, the rise of streaming and a need for content sharing have put the spotlight on how and where to archive and how to update content management.

LPTV Group Urges FCC to Consider Datacasting to Close ‘Homework Gap’

April 9, 2021: ARK Multicasting touts benefits of broadcasts' 'one to many' advantages over unicast for remote learning

Nielsen, Under Fire, Says COVID Viewing Numbers Are Accurate

April 9, 2021: Declines caused by consumer behavior, less original content

T-Mobile Says Its New Fixed 5G Internet Service Doesn't Support Hulu + Live TV

April 7, 2021: Wireless company, which now bundles Hulu's biggest vMVPD rival, YouTube TV, says the omission is due to a 'technical requirement in delivering the service'

Smart TVs Are Now Half of All Owned TVs, Hub Finds

April 7, 2021: Smart TVs featuring Roku and Amazon Fire are the most popular

Pearl TV: NextGen TV ‘Is Resonating Strongly With Consumers’

April 6, 2021: Magid survey says enhanced audio, interactivity and ease of tech upgrades most popular features

NAB, Microsoft Spar Over TV White Spaces Signal Availability Determination

April 2, 2021: Broadcasters said using Longley-Rice is recipe for interference

Supreme Court Overturns Third Circuit Smackdown of Broadcast Dereg

April 1, 2021: Say decision to eliminate, loosen, ownership regs was not arbitrary of capricious

Biden American Jobs Plan Predicts Universal, Affordable Broadband By Decade's End

March 30, 2021: Higher corporate taxes will help pay for massive infrastructure reboot

Analysis: California Tops RDOF Bucks Per Rural Resident

March 29, 2021: Rhode Island brings up rear

NAB Show Premiere Online Event Set for April

March 29, 2021: The 2021 NAB Show is delayed until October, but NAB is offering a virtual alternative to its usual spring gathering, the newly announced NAB Show Premiere. This 10-day virtual event will take place from April 12-23 and offer exclusive content through NAB Amplify.

Broadcast Internet Rules Are Now In Effect

March 25, 2021: The next-generation of broadcast took another step today, March 25, as the FCC has officially announced that the new rules governing Broadcast Internet are now in effect.

Jeffries analyst says rural broadband market is ripe for investment

March 24, 2021: The Covid-19 pandemic combined with the trend of people leaving cities to live in rural areas is putting pressure on the U.S. government to fix the digital divide and that is resulting in lots of money being designated for rural broadband. 

Broadband Bill Introduced to Focus $10 Billion on Unserved Areas

March 24, 2021: Sens. Manchin, Cornyn team up to target funds through direct payments to states

Comcast Pledges to Invest $1 Billion Over 10 Years in Internet Essentials

March 24, 2021: Operator promises to continue to invest in Lift Zone initiative, new laptop and computer donations, and grants to non-profit community organizations

Tom Wheeler to Hill: 1 Gig Needed to Bridge Digital Chasm

March 22, 2021: Former FCC chairman said that must be goal of government subsidies

FCC Asked to Consider Extending Accessibility to Streaming Video

March 18 2021: Advocates for video accessibility for the deaf and blind communities want the FCC to seriously consider how to apply captioning and audio description* mandates to video streamers.

Stations in 88 Cities Added to News App on Amazon Fire TV

March 18 2021: ABC, Tegna, CBSN, Cox, Scripps and Altice provide local stories

Locast launches in Portland, Oregon

March 17, 2021: Locast – a free streaming service for live, local broadcast television – has set up shop in Portland, Oregon, extending its reach to 31 markets.

House Schedules LIFT Act Hearing

March 16, 2021: “The LIFT America Act will help build back a better economy by investing in clean and efficient energy, safe drinking water, expanded access to broadband, and improving our nation’s health care infrastructure," said House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.).

Local Officials Push FCC's Rosenworcel for Digital 'Redlining' Investigation

March 16, 2021: Local elected officials and some community organizations from across the country have written to acting FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel asking the FCC to investigate digital "redlining" as well as to restore the Title II classification of internet access service, suggesting both will help close the racial justice divide.

Auton Achieves Field Trial Success of Its Connected Car Technology

March 10, 2021: Auton, Inc., the developer of a new mobile broadband solution for connected cars, and WatchTV, an owner and operator of broadcast internet facilities, today jointly announced the successful testing of Auton’s connected car technology as part of its ongoing development efforts to deploy a new nationwide broadband mobile data network.

SpaceX plans Starlink broadband for trucks, ships, and planes [Updated]

March 8, 2021: Dishes will be modified for vehicles, vessels, and aircraft, SpaceX tells FCC

DirecTV’s Over 3 Million Lost Customers in 2020 Accounted for Nearly Half of All Cord Cutting

March 5, 2021: Or why the entire U.S. pay TV industry would look a whole lot better if it could simply spin off AT&T’s premium video assets to private equity, too

FCC Establishes Framework for $3.2 Billion Emergency Broadband Benefit Program and Announces Initial Milestones

March 5, 2021: On February 25, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) unanimously adopted a Report and Order (EBB Order) that established the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB Program), a $3.2 billion initiative to provide subsidized broadband services and devices to low-income households during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cable Now Controls Nearly 70% of U.S. Fixed Broadband After Biggest Year Since 2008

March 3, 2021: The eight biggest U.S. cable companies collectively added 4.819 million wireline broadband customers in 2020 and now control approximately 69% of the U.S. fixed internet market. 

Sinclair Broadcast Group to Lay Off 5% of Workforce

March 3, 2021: Sinclair cites impact of pandemic as reason

Report: Over 12M U.S. homes eliminated their fixed broadband

March 2, 2021: Fixed broadband service providers may want to reconsider their price plans and improve their customer service if they want to keep their customers from cutting the cord.

Facebook pledges $1 billion investment in news over next 3 years

February 24, 2021: Facebook announced on Wednesday that it would be investing $1 billion in the news industry over the next three years, a week after a standoff with Australia over new laws that would require it to pay publishers to share their content.

Noland Details ATSC 3.0 Transition Costs for Public TV Stations

February 23, 2021: APTS Public Media Summit previewed advantages of NextGen TV for public broadcasters

NAB Brands Efforts to Expand Unlicensed Access in 6 GHz Band as ‘Premature’

February 24, 2021: Loosening rules in the band for RLAN proponents jeopardizes broadcasters’ 6 GHz ENG use

Elon Musk promises to double Starlink satellite broadband speeds this year

February 24, 2021: For Starlink, 150Mbps isn't fast enough

Here's the place that will make or break Biden's $20 billion broadband plan

February 19, 2021: Biden's broadband plan faces a serious test case in Appalachia's digital divide, where a potent mix of extreme poverty, lack of infrastructure and poor data present tremendous hurdles to the president's dream of closing the broadband gap.

PMG Names Azita Manson Head of Cloud And Software Infrastructure

February 18, 2021: Technology infrastructure company PMG has hired Azita Manson as its new EVP, leading PMG’s software and cloud platforms.

FCC Creates Broadband Data Task Force

February 17, 2021: Acting FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel has created a Broadband Data Task Force to implement "long-overdue" improvements to the commission's broadband mapping and data collection.

Pallone opening remarks at hearing on Broadband solutions to pandemic problems

February 17, 2021: Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) offers remarks at a Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing titled, "Connecting America: Broadband Solutions to Pandemic Problems"

T-Mobile initiates new 5G startup program with Curiosity Lab, Georgia Tech

February 17, 2021: T-Mobile is launching a new 5G incubator program for startups to help develop next-generation applications by leveraging resources from the carrier, Georgia Tech, and Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners.

Locast is the free TV streaming service that refuses to die

February 12, 2021: If you happen to live in one of the 29 markets in which Locast operates, you can watch your local TV broadcasters for free over the internet, no antenna or subscription required.

FCC's Geoffrey Starks Convenes HBCU Broadband Roundtable

February 12, 2021: Will discuss insuring minority institutions get sufficient connectivity

Sony-Pearl Group Field Tests Demonstrate Robust ATSC 3.0 Mobility

February 12, 2021: Sony’s tech allows for use of diversity antenna reception

IEEE BTS Dives Deep Into ATSC 3.0 SFNs

February 11, 2021: Session chair Merrill Weiss looked at the fundamentals, and Triveni Digital’s Mark Corl addressed regional networks

New Year, Same Old Carriage Clash

February 8, 2021: Broadcast, cable interests duel over dual streams

CEO Chris Ripley Likes Sinclair’s Gamble on Local Content

February 8, 2021: Multichannel News talked with Sinclair president and CEO Chris Ripley about some of the industry’s big-picture issues, including retransmission consent, consolidation, regional sports networks, NextGen TV technology and stations getting into the national news business.

Community feedback spurs expansion of Louisville Public Newsroom

February 5, 2021

Advocacy Groups Push Biden, Senate To Quickly Fill FCC Vacancy

January 29, 2021:  Considering the ongoing pandemic, the groups say FCC action is needed, especially when it comes to making sure the new emergency broadband benefit program gets off the ground.

Service-boosting ATSC 3.0 technology clears ‘important hurdle’ with FCC ruling

January 27, 2021: In its final major decision of the Trump era, the FCC issued a Report and Order Jan. 19 setting new technical standards for the distributed transmission systems that public broadcasters hope to use to provide more robust ATSC 3.0 digital signals to more viewers

Sinclair Readies ATSC 3.0 Simulcast of Seattle Radio Stations

January 27, 2021: The broadcaster’s rollout of OTA-delivered ATSC 3.0 radio simulcasts advances its automotive strategy

FCC's Geoffrey Starks: Digital Disparities Must Not Stand

January 25, 2021: Provides his take on how emergency broadband funding should be handed out

FCC Modifies DTS Rules for ATSC 3.0 Flexibility

January 20, 2021: The changes bring clarity to imprecise language that threatened greater 3.0 DTS deployment

Rosenworcel Named Acting FCC Chair

January 21, 2021: Former President Donald Trump’s hand-picked chief of U.S. international broadcasting has quit amid a burgeoning staff revolt and growing calls for his resignation.

Trump Global Broadcasting Chief Quits Amid VOA Staff Revolt

January 21, 2021: FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is tapped by President Biden to lead the agency.

DTS Rule Change May Add Millions of New OTA Viewers

January 20, 2021: Broadcasters potentially stand to gain millions of NextGen TV over-the-air viewers 

Taking ATSC 3.0 Nationwide

January 15, 2021: Tests on the east and west coast are separate, but do have a collaborative spirit

TVN Tech One-On-One | Assessing A Pivotal Year For NextGen TV

January 14, 2021: As the television industry gathered for the virtual CES 2021 show this week, there were only 23 markets live with 3.0 signals covering around 20% of U.S. households.

CES 2021: Stage Set for NextGen TV Inflection Point

January 15, 2021: The CTA’s chief researcher laid out the numbers during an ATSC-organized virtual panel discussion

New ATSC 3.0 Sets, Devices Launch at CES 2021

January 15, 2021: Sony, LG and BitRouter among companies debuting NextGen TV tech

TVN Tech One-On-One | Assessing A Pivotal Year For NextGen TV

January 14, 2021: As the television industry gathered for the virtual CES 2021 show this week, there were only 23 markets live with 3.0 signals covering around 20% of U.S. households.

Jessica Rosenworcel: Digital Connections Can Counter Divisiveness of Insurrection

January 13, 2021: Said FCC can play part in 'leaning into the light'

ATSC 3.0 backers tout a brighter picture for NEXTGEN TV at CES 2021

January 12, 2021: The pitch for ATSC 3.0, the IP-based broadcast television standard marketed as NEXTGEN TV, often focuses on the 4K resolution it can deliver over the air.

CES 2021: BitRouter Releases ATSC 3.0 Receiver for Automotive, Distance Learning

January 11, 2021: Designed for use when HDMI video output is not required

Four Columbus Broadcasters Launch ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV Service

January 8, 2021: BitPath coordinated the launch of WSYX, WCMH-TV, WWHO and WTTE

TVN Tech | Broadcasters Weigh 5G’s Potential

January 7, 2021: For broadcasters, 5G represents both a potentially helpful new tool and a competitive threat. The reality of either prospect hinges on how quickly and deeply the technology gets rolled out.

LG Acquires Controlling Stake In TV Data And Measurement Firm Alphonso

January 6, 2021: LG Electronics and Alphonso today announced a significant investment by LG in Alphonso to bring together the two TV industry leaders’ technologies and innovations to LG’s smart TV lineup.

Nexstar Launches NextGen TV In Denver

December 23, 2020: Nexstar Media Group’s KDVR (Fox) and KWGN (CW) in Denver (DMA 16) have begun broadcasting with NextGen TV. Denver is Nexstar’s 12th market to begin broadcasting with ATSC 3.0 this year, and the second top-20 market to do so.

ATSC 3.0 Gives Your Audience Features They Have Come to Expect

December 18, 2020: Your audience expects the type of mobile features ATSC 3.0 enables

Capitol Broadcasting Rolling Out ATSC 3.0

December 16, 2020: With the addition of its WRAL and WRAZ, plus noncommercial WUNC shortly, Raleigh, N.C., has 9 stations airing the new NextGen TV technology

Cable TV Test Of 3.0 Coming To Portland, OR

December 15, 2020: Seven stations in the market are working together with Comcast to test how NextGen TV signals could best be transmitted by cable TV systems

Google Invests $5.9M In Local News Diversity Projects

December 15, 2020: Google has announced the recipients of the second round of the 2020 GNI Innovation Challenge for North America. The 33 projects tackle diversity, equity and inclusion in local news.

Five Detroit Stations Launch ATSC 3.0 Broadcasts

December 10, 2020: WMYD, WXYZ, WDIV, WWJ and WJBK have implemented NextGen TV technology. Also debuting is the Motown 3.0 Open Test Track for merging automotive applications with NextGen TV

NextGen TV Hits Seattle, Its Largest Market Yet

December 16, 2020: Seven stations turn on ATSC 3.0 transmitters

FCC Terminates Proceeding to Dedicate TV Channel in Each Market to Unlicensed Wireless Use

December 9, 2020: In terminating the proceeding, the FCC looked at the TV spectrum following the repack and determined that there were numerous TV markets in which there was no vacant UHF channel to dedicate to these wireless users.

Gray Television Launches First NextGen TV Station

December 7, 2020: WNXG Tallahassee, Fla., simulcasts five programming services that Gray broadcasts in the market on its ATSC 1.0 full-power television channels WCTV and WFXU: CBS, Me/My, Circle, Ion and Justice.

Divided Senate Commerce OKs Simington for FCC Seat

December 2, 2020: Would succeed O'Rielly, who has to exit before new Congress is seated

ETRI/KBS Trial Demonstrates Viability of 8K OTA Delivery Via ATSC 3.0

December 2, 2020: ETRI’s Dr. Sung-IK Park discusses recent tests of 8K ATSC 3.0 MIMO transmission

Five Tampa Stations Roll Out ATSC 3.0

December 1, 2020: WMOR, WFTS, WFLA, WTSP and WTVT have implemented NextGen TV technology