WattsNewz CEO urges FCC to designate broadcasters as critical energy infrastructure

This shift redefines broadcasting from a legacy media business to a foundational utility layer. By positioning spectrum as indispensable to national energy and public safety, broadcasters create a strategic hedge against future spectrum reallocations. Concretely, this means ATSC 3.0 is no longer just a quest for 4K video, but a potential backbone for the smart grid's edge communications. In the broader ecosystem, it bridges the gap between traditional media and cleantech, potentially opening new revenue streams via enterprise datacasting contracts. Watch for a joint response or formal meeting between the FCC and FERC regarding a coordinated resilience framework involving 3.0 spectrum.

The transition to ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV, has reached a critical regulatory junction as broadcasters seek to move beyond the current hybrid delivery model. Per a June 2023 FCC Report and Order, the commission extended the 'substantially similar' rule through July 17, 2027, requiring broadcasters to continue simulcasting on the legacy ATSC 1.0 standard. This dual-transmission requirement remains a primary financial burden for station groups. In October 2025, the FCC issued a Fifth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to investigate shifting from mandatory to voluntary simulcasting, which would allow broadcasters to shut down legacy signals and repurpose more spectrum for data-heavy applications. This follows intense lobbying from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) for a firm 2028-2030 sunset date for ATSC 1.0.

On the commercial front, EdgeBeam Wireless — the joint venture between Sinclair, Nexstar, Gray Media, and E.W. Scripps — is actively operationalizing datacasting services. Per Light Reading in April 2026, EdgeBeam selected Soracom as its partner for 4G/5G hybrid connectivity, creating an MVNO-style relationship to provide a return data path for ATSC 3.0 streams. Earlier in early 2026, the venture secured Digital Mapping Group as its first customer, focusing on high-precision location services for utilities. In June 2026, EdgeBeam CTO Joe Fabiano confirmed at the ATSC annual meeting that the standard is being expanded to include full IP networking and peering capabilities, explicitly targeting the automotive and industrial sectors to bypass traditional broadband outages.

The push for public safety utility also aligns with progress in Advanced Emergency Information (AEI). Per TV Technology in January 2026, the AWARN Alliance filed formal support for a firm ATSC 1.0 sunset, arguing that the advanced media capabilities of 3.0 — such as geotargeted maps and evacuation routes — are only viable once the standard is ubiquitous. Simultaneous advancements in AI-powered emergency translations, demonstrated in Florida in June 2025, further underscore the move to replace 90-character text alerts with the high-bandwidth capabilities of the broadcast standard.