LPTV group pushes for voluntary adoption of 5G broadcast, datacasting

HC2 Broadcasting, the largest licensee of low-power television stations in the United States, has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to allow voluntary use of the 5G Broadcast transmission standard by LPTV stations.

The request, filed March 28 and authored by attorneys David O’Connor and Jeffrey Gee of Wilkinson Barker Knauer, seeks a rulemaking to permit LPTV stations to transmit data to 5G-enabled devices using spectrum currently allocated for traditional broadcast services.

According to FCC records, HC2 owns 14 percent of the nation’s 1,801 LPTV stations. In its petition, the company suggested that the proposed standard could serve applications such as live event video streaming, direct-to-device content delivery, and enhanced emergency alerting.

“5G Broadcast could play an important role at stadium events and other large-crowd situations, by serving all users in the area with high-definition content from the event without overloading nearby cell towers,” HC2 stated in its filing.

The company cited recent proof-of-concept testing conducted in Indiana, where it reportedly achieved consistent audio and video transmission without interference.

The proposal does not seek to mandate changes for all licensees. Instead, HC2 is advocating for permissive use of the 3GPP-approved 5G Broadcast standard. The company argues that adoption would require minimal hardware adjustments for mobile devices and no significant revisions to existing FCC rules beyond allowing the standard as an optional transmission method.

HC2’s petition also asks the Commission to consider whether the long-standing requirement that LPTV stations provide at least one free-to-air television signal should be retained.

“Freeing LPTV stations from this obligation would allow them to use all of their 6 MHz to provide 5G Broadcast services,” the filing stated.

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While not specifying a revenue model, HC2 noted that broadcasters using the spectrum for datacasting would still contribute five percent of gross revenues to the FCC, in line with existing ancillary services regulations.

The company also addressed potential concerns about conflicts with the ATSC 3.0 standard used by full-power and Class A television stations. The petition limits 5G Broadcast eligibility to LPTV stations, stating that this approach would not interfere with ATSC 3.0 deployment or require changes to multichannel video programming distributor operations.

HC2 positioned the proposal as part of a broader call for regulatory flexibility.

“From a policy standpoint, the Commission should encourage market-driven innovation by allowing LPTV stations to use the 5G Broadcast transmission standard on a voluntary basis.”