NABA gives our members the ability to meet and speak with counterparts from across the continent about technical, operational and regulatory issues that we all face.
The Technical Committee (TC) has the mandate for a broad range of issues, currently including: the next generation of television, simplifying work flows by developing common metadata specifications, media over IP, cybersecurity, spectrum protection, and participation in international organizations and forums where the views of NABA members on these and other issues may be presented and discussed.
The Legal Committee (LC) benefits our members by sharing regulatory developments in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and continues work on achieving a Broadcaster Treaty at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). With the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) now replaced by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the LC is the place where cultural and cross border rights interests can be shared.
The Resilience & Risk Committee (RRC) shares best practices and experiences on how to prepare for and deal with crisis situations. There is no greater responsibility for broadcasters than to ensure that their facilities and people can withstand natural and man-made disasters, so they can continue to provide their audiences with vital information during critical situations.
The Radio Committee (RC) has been making great strides with their work on digital radio, FM chips in smartphones, and the next generation of radio. By achieving a consensus on radio technology initiatives for all of North America, the RC is helping to reduce transition costs and improve services to listeners in a growing digital environment.
NABA is a member of the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU) and serves as its Secretariat. As we define our agenda through the work of our committees and Board of Directors, we share this knowledge and experience with other regional broadcast unions with the view of having common strategies and, where possible, common technical and operational standards. This aids international program exchange and allows us to learn from one another.
As an example, the work done by the International Media Connectivity Group (IMCG), which was originally created by NABA and now operates under the WBU umbrella, is of great value to our members. The collection, production and distribution of content around the world has become the currency of the digital IP age. Understanding these changes and building relationships internationally helps us to understand how we can work faster, cheaper and better.
NABA is a great resource for our industry and if we didn’t have this NABA resource, we would need to invent it.
Richard Friedel
NABA President
