The Federal Communications Commission has granted low-power TV station WWOO-LD Westmoreland, New Hampshire, special temporary authority to test 5G broadcasts.
Low-power stations are looking to leapfrog the ATSC 3.0 standard’s data offload potential with what is being billed as “5G broadcasting.”
"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 on-demand streams and data via broadcast,” Preston Padden, longtime industry executive and chief strategic officer of the LPTV Broadcasters Association has said of the effort to turn low-power TV stations (LPTVs) into turnkey 5G players.
The FCC has given WWOO through January 16, 2024, to conduct testing of 5G broadcasts, which include TV signals that can be received by "smartphones, tablets, and any device (including traditional television sets) with a 5G chip that has been manufactured to permit the reception of 5G transmissions within the broadcast television band," the FCC said in granting the authority.
But in addition to TV signals, WWOO parent Milachi Media and its partner Qualcomm envision relieving congestion on 5G wireless networks. WWOO will broadcast traditional TV signals in 5G as well as working with public safety to provide video and data services to first responders.
Milachi said the tests should not create interference, but has agreed to stop them or cut power if they do. The FCC experimental license is contingent on noninterference, so the regulator could also pull the license if that were the case.
"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 objectional 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," the FCC's Media Bureau said in granting the test request.
