WTA Affirms Issues Raised in ATSC 3.0 Proceeding

On April 23, WTA filed a joint reply with NTCA in support of the Petitions for Reconsideration filed by NCTA and ATVA in the ATSC 3.0 / NextGen Broadcasting proceeding. Specifically, the Rural Associations outlined their concerns that the Commission’s failure to not include retransmission consent protections in its ATSC 3.0 Order will result in more rural MVPDs leaving the video marketplace once they are forced by a broadcaster to make an involuntary transition. The Rural Associations also took issue with the Commission’s decision to set an arbitrary 5 year deadline for content to be “substantially similar” on simulcasted channels.