Rep Dingell Has Privacy Concerns Over ATSC 3.0

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) has privacy concerns about the new ATSC 3.0 next generation broadcast transmission standard and has asked both the Federal Communications Commission and the National Association of Broadcasters for some answers. That came in letters to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and NAB President Gordon Smith (himself a former member of Congress). Rep Dingell wants some answers from both on what types of information broadcasters will be able to collect from consumers and how it will be handled and protected. She signaled her concerns in a House Communications Subcommittee FCC oversight hearing in October. The standard will allow broadcasters to target advertising and employ other interactive applications, which means broadcasters will also now be under scrutiny, as pay-TV providers and edge providers have been, on how they protect information privacy. Rep Dingell is worried about the word "privacy" not being mentioned in the FCC draft order on the ATSC 3.0 rollout framework, which the FCC is planning to vote on next week at the Nov. 16 public meeting. “Broadcasters and other stakeholders deserve credit in developing this new standard that will undoubtedly bring significant benefits to consumers including more localized safety warnings and improved picture quality,” Rep Dingell wrote.