Today the new chairman of the FCC Ajit Pai made a guest post on MultiChannel News about the future of over the air TV and the new ATSC 3.0 “Next Gen TV” standard. This new standard will bring new features to OTA TV like free over the air 4K TV.

Here are some highlights of his letter:

“Next Gen TV matters because it will let broadcasters offer much better services in a variety of ways. Picture quality will improve with 4K transmissions. Accurate sound localization and customizable sound mixes will produce an immersive audio experience. Broadcasters will be able to provide advanced emergency alerts with more information, more tailored to a viewer’s particular location. Enhanced personalization and interactivity will enable better audience measurement, which in turn will make for higher-quality advertising–ads relevant to you and that you actually might want to see. Perhaps most significantly, consumers will easily be able to watch over-the-air programming on mobile devices.”

“Yesterday (Feb. 1), I shared with my fellow FCC commissioners a proposal to allow broadcasters to use the Next Gen TV standard on a voluntary basis. My view is simple: As in any industry, the FCC should promote innovation in the broadcasting business, not stand in the way of progress. I look forward to receiving feedback on our proposal from broadcasters, consumers, and other stakeholders. And I hope that we can issue a final authorization of the standard later this year.”

“Now, a skeptic might ask: does this really matter? The answer is yes, it does — a lot. Broadcasting remains an indispensable part of America’s communications landscape. Indeed, most of television’s biggest events and highest-rated shows are still on broadcast.”

You can find his full letter here: http://www.multichannel.com/blog/mcn-guest-blog/fast-forwarding-future-broadcasting/410630

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