ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) Seminar Outcomes – Humber College B²C Lab, Toronto, Canada

The realization that the ATSC 3.0 standard enables broadcasters to offer an independent source of standard time, distinct from and equivalent to GPS/GNSS, and traceable to UTC time, has led to the formation of a forum within ATSC and NAB, and has attracted individuals, industry, and government organizations, who feel that development of appropriate technologies within ATSC 3.0 should proceed with no delays. The urgency is caused by many concerns with the current vulnerabilities of the GPS system. Providing a backup is in the minds of many, given that competitor countries have already built backup capability in their systems and at the same time have good knowledge of the weaknesses of GPS. In this paper, a gathering of such a wide forum is described, which took place in Toronto, Canada in November 2023, in the form of a one-day conference. The theme of the conference was the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), proposed by the broadcasting community as an alternative to GPS in case GPS service is lost. The main points made by participants in this conference are presented here, and its potential impact on innovation directions for industry and academia are evaluated. In addition, the potential impact of this forum on Canadian policy is assessed.

Vatsa Dave | Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning | Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Georges Livanos | Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning | Toronto, Ontario, Canada