Datacasting is a one-way broadcast service where data is encoded and transmitted over-the-air within a public television station's digital signal. The transmission is then decoded by an inexpensive receiver. Through datacasting, digital public television stations can wirelessly distribute streamed video and data files to computers and computer networks – with a capacity equal to thirteen T-1 data lines.

Digital datacasting is offered now, and access can be provided to all Americans within a very short timetable, because much of the digital transmission infrastructure is already in place. Each location – whether a home, school, government building or business – needs only an inexpensive datacasting receiver and antenna. This equipment is commercially available right now and is easily connected to a standard desktop or laptop computer, as seen here.

Public television digital datacasting services can provide training of first-line emergency responders, professional development for teachers and other professionals, and immediate emergency information distributed simultaneously to hundreds or thousands of sites.

The low capital investment required to receive datacasts, combined with the economics of broadcasting (where more users means less cost per user, rather than higher costs per user which is the norm in the world of the Internet) means significant economies in reaching remote locations. Service is configured into virtual data “channels.” These “channels” can be made available to anyone who has a datacast receiver (such as National Weather Service information) or can be proprietary (such as distance education courses designed to help teachers meet certification requirements). Other channels can be encrypted with the highest level of computer security (such as Homeland Security information). The bandwidth of each “channel” can easily be configured from 56 kbps to 1 mbps, or higher as needed. In a crisis situation, bandwidth can easily be increased.

Datacasting for Public Safety

In July 2006, APTS and the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency displayed a homeland security application of public television datacasting as the backbone of the Digital Emergency Alert System (DEAS). APTS demonstrated the capabilities of digital broadcasting through a two-year project in the National Capital Region. The initial phases of the project included PBS, WETA, twenty-five other public television stations across the country, the FCC and NOAA. APTS and FEMA were also joined by partners in the commercial television, cable, cellular, paging and radio industries. Learn more about the DEAS Press Conference.