Authorizing Permissive Use of the “Next Generation” Broadcast Television Standard

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) makes changes to its Next Gen TV rules designed to preserve over-the-air (OTA) television viewers' access to the widest possible range of programming while also supporting television broadcasters' transition to the next generation of broadcast television technology. In the first part of this Order, the Commission establishes a licensing regime for Next Gen TV stations' multicast streams that are aired on host stations during the transition period. In the second part of this Order, the Commission retains the substantially similar rule and the requirement to comply with the ATSC A/322 standard.