Broadcast flag, again...
Jun. 22nd, 2006 08:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgpThe basic rule of the entertainment industry (which includes broadcasters and the news media) is to restrict the options available to their customers. Moreover, as technology creates numerous options for consumers, the entertainment industry grows apoplectic, not because they are against options, per se, but because they're not getting a piece of the action.
The so-called "broadcast flag" is a "counter-technology," if you will, basically designed to allow broadcasters the on-the-fly ability to grant or withhold permission for viewers to record televised content. It nips a lot of technologies - such as Tivo - in the bud.
The flag has been introduced many times in Congress, sometimes openly by congresscritters who apparently rely on entertainment industry contributions for their continued political health, and more recently by stealth, as it has become clear that this idea is a real stinkeroo with broader implications than merely the silk-lined pockets of entertainment industry moguls.
The latest attempt to implement the flag is in a telecom bill that is apparently under discussion today. I would ask that interested LJers please go visit the Public Knowledge web site to learn more and to learn if they can help sway the Seante's Commerce Committee ('tis my understanding that congresscritters really only listen to people in their constituency, and even then, that's only in theory).
Cheers...
The so-called "broadcast flag" is a "counter-technology," if you will, basically designed to allow broadcasters the on-the-fly ability to grant or withhold permission for viewers to record televised content. It nips a lot of technologies - such as Tivo - in the bud.
The flag has been introduced many times in Congress, sometimes openly by congresscritters who apparently rely on entertainment industry contributions for their continued political health, and more recently by stealth, as it has become clear that this idea is a real stinkeroo with broader implications than merely the silk-lined pockets of entertainment industry moguls.
The latest attempt to implement the flag is in a telecom bill that is apparently under discussion today. I would ask that interested LJers please go visit the Public Knowledge web site to learn more and to learn if they can help sway the Seante's Commerce Committee ('tis my understanding that congresscritters really only listen to people in their constituency, and even then, that's only in theory).
Cheers...
