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Digital TV Transitionin the United States

Alexander RoytblatInternational Bureau

Federal Communications Commission

2012 Latin American Spectrum ConferenceMexico City, Mexico

October 25, 2012

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Digital TV SpectrumDigital TV Spectrum 700 MHz

108 MHz of UHF spectrum reclaimed in the 700 MHz band (698-806 MHz CH52-69)

74 MHz commercial use (assigned by auction) 34 MHz public safety (no auction)

600 MHz Central goal: repurposing the maximum amount of UHF

band spectrum for flexible licensed and unlicensed use

Expect a healthy, diverse broadcast television service following the auction

700 MHz

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700 MHz Auction Results 700 MHz Auction Results

Revenue Net auction proceeds were $19.6 billion 2008 700 MHz auction (Auction 73) yielded $1.287/MHz-

pop

Timing Auction completed prior to the analog switch-off date

Auction winners include: Major operators (Verizon, AT&T); Wireless broadband, mobile TV

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Expenditures on the TransitionExpenditures on the Transition FCC spent nearly $129.5 million on outreach activities to educate

consumers about the DTV transition

The U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) spent almost $1.4 billion on the coupon program subsidizing the purchase of digital-to-analog converters. 35 million coupons redeemed 2,000 retailers in 30,000 locations Program was discontinued less than 2 months after transition

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Expenditures on the Transition (2)Expenditures on the Transition (2)

The TV broadcasters spent $1.2 billion on their own outreach activities, including on-air announcements, consumer publications, and public appearances.

As a whole, broadcasters spent approximately $10 billion for the technical changes needed to transition to digital broadcasting Individually, TV stations spent $1 to 2 million for

construction of new digital transmission and broadcasting facilities, including equipment and studios for high definition production

BA CBAEDC

C

746 768 798 806769 775757 776758 799787

710 746716 722 728698 740734704

Ch 54 Ch 55 Ch 56 Ch 57Ch 52 Ch 59Ch 58Ch 53

Ch 61 Ch 62 Ch 64 Ch 65 Ch 66 Ch 67Ch 60 Ch 69Ch 68Ch 63

PSNB C PSNB

805788

DTV

800 MHz

Lower 700 MHz Band

Upper 700 MHz Band

First Net License

PSBB PSBB PSNB

746 752 758 764 770 776 782 788 794 800 806

700 MHz Band Plan2012 update

700 MHz Band Plan2012 update

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700 MHz DTV Transition Building Blocks700 MHz DTV Transition Building Blocks Broadcaster Buildout

Over-the-air broadcasting U.S. had 1,800 full power analog television stations pre-transition Fewer than 10 stations did not transition and ceased broadcasting Major U.S. local markets have 15-25 local television stations

Pay Television Almost 90% of U.S. television households subscribe to a pay service, either cable or satellite Even in pay households, some TV sets rely on over-the-air reception

Satellite and cable transitioned voluntarily to digital Digital, HD pay programming competes with broadcast programming

Consumer Equipment DTV tuner requirement for receivers Government subsidy for converter boxes

Consumer Outreach Cross-Border Coordination

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Lessons LearnedLessons Learned Setting a hard date for switch-off is important, but be flexible to change

switch-off date if not ready Consistent message is important Early transition for a few markets “Soft tests”

Coordinate across all stations in a market Combine with a local “call-in” center

Pay attention to receiving antennas Low VHF (channels 2-6) subject to reception problems (more than

anticipated) “Night light” service after switch-off date

600 MHz

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Next Step – 600 MHzNext Step – 600 MHz

September 2012 - FCC voted on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)

771,000 New Jobs by 2015*

Mobile Data Explosion

300m active cellphones

Smartphones:35x more data

than traditional cellphones

35x increase inmobile broadband

traffic by 2015

Without additional spectrum:

expect delays,more dropped

calls & slower

downloads

Job Creation

Tablets:121x more data

thantraditional cellphones

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600 MHz Transition600 MHz TransitionThree major components of 600 MHz transition: “Reverse Auction” -- broadcast television

licensees submit bids to voluntarily relinquish spectrum usage rights in exchange for payments;

“Repacking” -- rearrange broadcast television bands in order to free up a portion of UHF band for other uses; and

“Forward Auction” -- auction initial licenses for flexible use of the newly available spectrum.

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Proposed 600 MHz Band Plan

•Amount of spectrum available is auction-dependent/currently unknown: “X cleared” (downlink) and “Y cleared” (uplink)•600 MHz Uplink located at channel 51 (698 MHz) and expands downward •600 MHz Downlink located at channel 36 (608 MHz) and expands downward •5 megahertz blocks proposed, paired wherever possible•Proposes 6 megahertz guard bands (GB), available for unlicensed use

LMR700 MHz

Uplink600 MHz Downlink

TV Channels 14 to N=(36-X/6)

608 698614470

TV Channels38 to

M=(51-Y/6)

600 MHz Uplink

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Gua

rd Band

Gua

rd Band

608-X 698-Y

Y clearedX cleared

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Other Services and Unlicensed Use

• Seeks comment on existing secondary services

• Significant opportunities for unlicensed use

◦ Remaining white spaces in repacked TV bands

° First consistent nationwide availability of low-band unlicensed spectrum

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International Regulatory Aspects• Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility….

• No more “easy” spectrum but demand is growing

• Current international radio regulations do not provide adequate flexibility for countries in the Americas (i.e., Region 2) to recognize national priorities in 470-698 MHz band

• Allow each country to decide on the use of 470-698 MHz based on its national priorities

• Solution: At WRC-15 concerning 470-698 MHz band:

• keep broadcasting allocation • allocate to Mobile Service/IMT• Region 3 approach

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DISCLAIMER

Opinions expressed in this presentation are those of Opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views of the FCC or any other member of its staffof the FCC or any other member of its staff

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THANK YOU!

Alexander RoytblatAlexander RoytblatAlexander.Roytblat@fcc.gov

tel: +1-202-418-7501tel: +1-202-418-7501

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Additional Information on 700 MHz Digital TV Transition

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700 MHz Broadcaster Buildout700 MHz Broadcaster Buildout

Timeline for stations to construct their digital transmission facilities: Affiliates of top 4 commercial networks (ABC, CBS, Fox,

and NBC) in top 30 markets in 1999

All other commercial stations by May 2002

All noncommercial stations (400 of the 1800 total full power stations) by May 2003

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700 MHz Consumer Equipment700 MHz Consumer Equipment FCC required manufacturers to include the Advanced

Television Systems Committee (“ATSC”) tuner in television sets

Requirement phased-in: Sets ~90 cm and above – 50% by July 2004; 100% by July 2005 Set ~60-90 cm – 50% by July 2005; 100% by March 2006 All sets and TV devices – 100% by March 2007

Labeling: Consumer Alert required for all analog-only TV equipment as of May 2007

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Cable/Satellite Cable/Satellite Satellite and cable transitioned voluntarily to digital

Satellite is digital only; most cable systems offer analog and digital packages

Cable and satellite operators are both subject to signal carriage requirements Cable systems are required to carry all local stations in every

market Satellite (DBS) operators are required to carry all local stations if

they choose to carry any local stations in a market (“carry-one, carry-all”).

Neither cable nor satellite operators are required to carry multicast sub-channels

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700 MHz Consumer Outreach700 MHz Consumer Outreach

Outreach efforts began in 2007 Focused on consumers likely to need the most help.

Targeted all TV viewers.Focused on those who rely on over-the-air

(terrestrial) broadcasting and do not subscribe to a pay service

Also concentrated on reaching and helping senior citizens, minorities, non-English speakers, those with disabilities, low income consumers, and those living in rural areas or on tribal lands

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700 MHz Consumer Outreach (2)700 MHz Consumer Outreach (2)

Used FCC’s existing toll-free call center, 1-888-CALL-FCC.

Created a DTV website, www.dtv.gov. Website contained publications, frequently asked

questions, explanatory charts for installing converter boxes, troubleshooting guides, antenna information and mapping tools.

All publications were available in English and Spanish. Key publications were translated into 29 languages.

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700 MHz Consumer Outreach (3)700 MHz Consumer Outreach (3) Trained a team of 200 Commission staff who traveled throughout

the country Team members provided direct outreach to consumers and developed

partnerships with local governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations

Established national partnerships with: Government agencies (e.g., the National Telecommunications and

Information Administration) Industry groups representing broadcasters, cable operators, television

manufacturers, and retailers National consumer groups

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700 MHz Consumer Outreach (4)700 MHz Consumer Outreach (4)

FCC contracted with businesses for in-home installation services and walk-in help centers throughout the country.

Required outreach efforts by industry Broadcasters: Public Service Announcements, Walk-in

Help Centers Pay Television Operators: Monthly Notices in Customer

Billing Statements

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700 MHz Cross-Border Coordination700 MHz Cross-Border Coordination

Shared border with Canada and Mexico Two key documents governed the U.S. transition:

1998 U.S.-Mexico DTV Memorandum of Understanding 2000 Letter of Understanding between the FCC and

Industry Canada Work continues New agreements also necessary for “Digital

Dividend” Engage neighbors early in process

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700 MHz Analog Switch-Off700 MHz Analog Switch-Off Prior to the DTV Act of 2005, the “soft” deadline for the

transition was December 31, 2006

Congressional DTV Act of 2005 (enacted in 2006) Established February 17, 2009 as the “hard” deadline for all full

power television stations to terminate analog broadcasting Also required all full power stations to vacate channels 52-69

(698-794 MHz) by that date Created the DTV converter box coupon subsidy program

Every U.S. household entitled to up to two coupons, each worth $40 towards the purchase of a digital-to-analog converter

In January 2009, Congress extended the hard deadline from February 17 to June 12, 2009