For much of the industry, the primary appeal of ATSC 3.0 is not better television. It is the ability to monetize broadcast spectrum for non-broadcast uses — even if that comes at the expense of free TV.

The sharp divide — between most large commercial station groups on one side and public broadcasters, multichannel pay-TV providers, and small station owners on the other — reveals a classic regulatory clash: who bears the cost of progress, and who stands to profit from it?

Without enforceable accountability, the move to ATSC 3.0 risks becoming ATSC 1.0 “2.0” — another costly cycle of broken promises, obsolescence, and squandered public value.

Broadcasters seeking regulatory support, legislative goodwill, or community backing — whether for NextGen approvals or large-scale mergers — can achieve it by dedicating some spectrum and revenues to a durable, modernized system of public access.