“On the other, ATSC3 isn’t that. From the beginning it was designed to use and need an internet connection both for authentication and for viewer tracking, neither of which are goals consistent with freedom.”
Internet is not required to receive ATSC 3 OTA.
It is if they block it with DRM encryption, which is the major issue and controversy with ATSC 3.0 as this undermines the entire concept of broadcast / antenna received TV.