Week ending Aug. 9, 2026 · About a 4-minute read
The FCC ownership vote led the week. The clearest ATSC 3.0 development came from a multi-station BPS utility trial.
The week in brief
The FCC approved an order to repeal the 39% national TV ownership cap. Once effective, the order would replace the fixed limit with case-by-case review of station transactions. The commission's legal authority to make that change remains disputed.
A BPS trial is using one television station to provide time to another. WNUV in Baltimore receives the timing reference from WHUT in Washington, resynchronizes to it and rebroadcasts it. The trial supplies timing to equipment at a Dominion Energy substation.
FCC adopts case-by-case ownership review
The Federal Communications Commission voted 2-1 Aug. 6 to approve an order repealing the rule that generally prevents one television station owner from reaching more than 39% of U.S. television households. Once effective, the order would replace the fixed threshold with review of each proposed transaction under the commission's public-interest standard, according to the FCC's announcement of Report and Order FCC 26-53.
Congress directed the FCC to set the cap at 39% in 2004. FCC Chair Brendan Carr says the commission retains authority to modify its ownership rule. Commissioner Anna Gomez, who dissented, argues that only Congress can change the limit. Free Press told TV Technology it plans to challenge the action in court.
Under the case-by-case approach, the FCC says it could approve or deny a transaction based on the record and its public-interest analysis.
Why it matters: For ATSC 3.0, transactions that create larger station groups could concentrate deployment and procurement authority across more stations.
BPS utility trial tests a two-station timing chain
A Broadcast Positioning System field evaluation is using ATSC 3.0 signals from WHUT in Washington and WNUV in Baltimore to supply timing to grid-monitoring equipment at a Dominion Energy substation, TV Technology reported Aug. 4.
BPS carries a precise time reference in an ATSC 3.0 television signal. It is intended to complement satellite navigation systems such as GPS in applications that need an independent timing source. Power-grid operators use synchronized measurements to compare conditions at different points on the network and detect faults.
The trial also tests a leader-follower arrangement. WNUV receives WHUT's timing reference from about 40 miles away, resynchronizes to it and retransmits it. Merkhet Solutions CEO Sam Matheny said the results so far meet the needs of energy-grid operations.
Sinclair is preparing WIAV-CD in Washington as a third transmitter. Harvey Arnold, Sinclair's senior vice president of engineering, told TV Technology that the addition will test how many leader-follower hops the system can support before the timing signal degrades. WIAV-CD will also provide a third location for testing BPS positioning information, he said.
The National Association of Broadcasters disclosed the U.S. Department of Transportation contract for the Dominion Energy trial when it launched Merkhet Solutions in June. Earlier field research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology found that a single-station BPS test in Colorado delivered timing stability roughly comparable with a common single-band GPS receiver.
Why it matters: The Dominion trial moves BPS into a utility operating environment and expands testing from a single transmitter to a two-station chain. The engineering question is whether a follower station can relay the reference accurately enough for grid equipment. WIAV-CD would add a third location and another hop.
Around ATSC 3.0
Analysis: The Missing Lane to 6G — Chapter 3 compares 5G Multicast and Broadcast Services, LTE-based 5G Broadcast and ATSC 3.0/B2X. It sets out a possible role for ATSC 3.0/B2X alongside mobile networks.
Interview: EdgeBeam CEO Conrad Clemson discusses the company's early markets for ATSC 3.0 data delivery, including digital signage, public safety and positioning. Clemson says the company began generating revenue in the second quarter.
Product update: TV Technology reports that GatesAir has expanded the broadcast standards supported by its Maxiva XTK exciter. GatesAir plans to demonstrate the software-defined product at IBC2026.
About ATSC Now
ATSC Now is a free weekly briefing on the policy, standards, receivers, deployments and business activity shaping ATSC 3.0.
Written by Mark Barrington and published by Barrington Technology. ATSC Now is an independent publication and is not affiliated with ATSC. All opinions are our own.