FCC Approves A Low Power TV Station To Broadcast Over 5G Networks
By Brad Adgate
20 July, 2023
Earlier this week, the FCC granted WWOO-LD, a low-power TV (LPTV) station in Westmoreland, NH (in the Boston TV market), a temporary special authorization to transmit programming and data via 5G. WWOO-LD is licensed by Milachi Media and was also the first LPTV station to file for a 5G broadcast application on June 12. As a result, WWOO-LD has become the first LPTV to receive FCC permission to transmit a 5G signal over a licensed ATSC 3.0 TV broadcast facility. The FCC granted the experimental authority, citing the request had complied with Commission’s requirements for serving the public interest. The six-month 5G broadcast test expires on January 16, 2024.
The FCC’s experiment is part of an overall strategy to test the viability of a national 5G broadcast infrastructure. Besides transmitting traditional video content, the 5G network will also provide data and emergency alerts to first responders. The 5G broadcast will use the UHF frequency commonly used by smaller LPTV stations. The 5G broadcast experiment will be used for downstream purposes only to complement existing interactive 5G cellular networks. Similar 5G broadcast TV projects have been underway in Europe.
Current 5G devices will not be able to receive and decode the WWOO-LD signal since it is using a TV station frequency. Users eventually will have access to free video content across several devices that are equipped with a special 5G chip and software, including smartphones, tablets and other consumer electronic products, including television sets. Qualcomm has partnered with Milachi in providing Android phones with software capable of receiving 5G broadcasts from UHF frequencies.
BIA Advisory Services’ managing director, Rick Ducey, concluded that, “the broadcast, Internet, and mobile communities have been working in international forums to fashion standards that deliver the point-to-multipoint spectral efficiency of broadcasting with the point-to-point personalization of mobile networks using Internet Protocol (IP) technology. The WWOO-LD experimental project will offer the U.S. broadcast and mobile industries front row seats to see how close we can come to the goal of combining multicast and unicast networks to offer integrated services over common devices.”
In granting the temporary license, The FCC added, “We find that Milachi has proposed a definite program of research and experimentation; stands ready to proceed with such research; is not expected to cause any objectionable interference; and the experiment is likely to provide valuable information to allow broadcasters to better understand how 5G broadcast can be used not only for traditional television services, but also new and innovative video and data services.”
In a statement, Bill Christian owner of WWOO-LD said, “Recent developments in technology on both the transmit and receive sides, combined with an ever-increasing appetite for video and data on mobile devices make this the perfect time to build and test 5G broadcasting.”
In applying for the 5G experiment, Christian had partnered with Frank Copsidas, founder of the LPTV Broadcasters Association and former Fox and ABC executive and current Chief Strategic Officer of the LPTVBA, Preston Padden. Christian, Copsidas and Padden have also developed XGen Network which focuses on 5G broadcasting with independent LPTV stations.
While numerous TV stations nationwide have been testing ATSC 3.0 (a.k.a. NextGen TV), which uses IP to transmit broadcast TV signals, WWOO-LD will broadcast using the ATSC 3AA.0 format. There is some industry support that if successful, in the future, 5G broadcast and ATSC 3.0 technology will be combined.
With the test, WWOO-LD will transmit via an antenna from one of Boston’s tallest buildings, One Beacon Street. For the 5G test, WWOO-LD will stream traditional content from NASA TV and available over digital channel 28. This will also enable a comparison with WCRN-LD, another LPTV station which broadcasts using ATSC 3.0. At present, WWOO-LD offers digital programming streams from Nexstar’s “diginet”, AntennaTV. That content will migrate to WVCC-LD, a larger local LPTV station co-owned by Milachi, as WWOO-LD conducts its 5G broadcast experiment.
Up to now, 5G networks have been used exclusively with cellular phones. The primary difference is 5G mobile networks transmit information “one-to-one” while 5G broadcast uses a “one-to-many” method. This could potentially cut down on traffic across 5G cellular networks especially when a number of mobile users are downloading data or viewing content simultaneously.
In an interview LPTVBA’s Preston Padden said, “Anybody who has been frustrated in a crowded football stadium trying to watch the game on a phone can understand the value of sending out in-demand streams and data via broadcast. But the possibilities are so much more, from long-distance learning to high-definition encrypted video to first responders, to filling holes in areas underserved by the internet.”
Since LPTV stations rely on smaller towers and lower power to transmit, it is expected the 5G broadcast experiment will not compete or interfere with mobile networks. Nonetheless, the temporary licensing has a non-interference stipulation. The FCC can immediately modify or end the test if it creates any interference with any licensed user. This includes broadcast television and radio. WWOO-LD said they would stop testing if there were any problems.
The FCC had created LPTV in 1982. With lower transmitter power, the primary purpose was to provide locally-oriented television service in small communities, both in rural and individual, within larger urban areas. Since then, the number of LPTV has increased substantially. The FCC wrote, “The 5,000 LPTV broadcast stations that collectively cover the whole country with existing towers, transmitters, etc., will be able to provide that content to wireless customers through supplemental downloads.”
In other words, the plans are for 5G broadcast from LPTV stations to cover the entire country.
Original article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2023/07/20/fcc-approves-a-low-power-tv-station-to-broadcast-over-5g-networks/?sh=942addf3fed0
