A coalition of low-power television (LPTV) advocates, including XGN and Tyche Media, has petitioned the FCC to permit the voluntary adoption of the 3GPP 5G Broadcast standard as an alternative to ATSC 1.0 and 3.0. The proposed regulatory change would mandate a 720p linear stream and the reservation of at least 2 MHz of bandwidth for public safety applications.
The petition signals a strategic pivot for low-power broadcasters who find the high-cost transition to ATSC 3.0 financially unviable. By adopting the 5G Broadcast standard, these stations could bypass traditional TV receiver limitations and deliver content directly to existing smartphone chipsets. This move creates a potential schism in the broadcast industry, as LPTV operators seek a mobile-first existence that diverges from the full-power focus on NextGen TV. For the broader ecosystem, it highlights the growing tension between traditional broadcast hardware and cellular-integrated standards. The industry should monitor the FCC's response to these public safety and 720p mandates, which are designed to differentiate this bid from previous datacasting-only proposals.
The push for the 3GPP 5G Broadcast standard as a voluntary transmission option gained significant momentum throughout 2025 and 2026. Per Communications Daily in March 2025, HC2 Broadcasting filed an initial petition for rulemaking to allow LPTV stations to transmit 5G signals to mobile devices. Unlike the current petition from Frank Copsidas and XGN, the 2025 HC2 proposal faced criticism for potentially sunsetting free-to-air obligations in favor of exclusive datacasting. The NAB and FOX executives formally urged the FCC to reject that earlier petition in June 2025, arguing it could undermine the industry-wide transition to ATSC 3.0 and cause signal interference, according to an FCC filing. Despite regulatory friction, technical pilots have accelerated. In April 2026, TV Technology reported that Castanet Corp. launched a commercial-ready hybrid network in Las Vegas during the NAB Show, demonstrating the simultaneous use of ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast. This followed earlier 2025 field tests in Indiana and experimental operations at WCRN-LD in Boston, where advocates tested first-responder applications and direct-to-device video delivery. The LPTV Broadcasters Association has specifically targeted the 3GPP Release 19 specifications, aiming to leverage global cellular standards rather than the broadcast-specific ATSC architecture. Advocates emphasize that 5G Broadcast is an application layer capable of running independently of cellular SIM cards or Wi-Fi, which could expand the reach of local news to mobile-first audiences. Per Broadcasting Alliance reporting from June 2026, supporters have framed the transition as a deregulatory necessity to keep LPTV competitive against high-tower, full-power incumbents. However, the Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance (ATBA) has cautioned that a standalone 5G Broadcast path might risk reducing broadcasters to mere spectrum hosts within a cellular ecosystem, rather than independent platform operators.
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