FCC's "broadcast flag" proposal starts to get attention [ip]

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 09:29:32 -0400
From: Declan McCullagh , not positive,  about the BF which I developed 
while at the FCC in my CT role.

Dave
---     

Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 07:39:38 -0400
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
From: mnemonic <mnemonic () well com>
Subject: Broadcast Flag in the Post
Cc: mnemonic () well com

The FCC's plans to change how we watch television, and to restrict the kinds
of copies we make of broadcast TV programming, have finally begun to surface
in the mainstream press -- at least in a way that begins to make clear what
we're about to lose: not just TV copying but open-architecture computer 
design as well.


--Mike


FCC Targets Copying of Digital TV
Hollywood Backs Rule That May Irk Viewers

By Jonathan Krim
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 16, 2003; Page E01

The federal government is preparing for the first time to require that
personal computers and other consumer electronics devices contain technology
to help block Internet piracy of digital entertainment.

A rule being considered by the Federal Communications Commission is one of a
series of proposals pushed by the entertainment industry to help thwart
copying and online trading of movies and television shows that increasingly
are being broadcast in digital form with high-quality picture and sound.

But the new rule also would force consumers to purchase new equipment if
they wanted to record enhanced digital-quality television programs and
replay them on other machines.

Opponents of the proposed rule, including many technology companies and
consumer groups, say it won't work. They are especially concerned that the
plan might lead to government regulation of how personal computers and other
devices are built, particularly if hackers crack the system and further
changes are deemed necessary.

Officials at the FCC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they
expect the agency to settle on details of the "broadcast flag" rule by the
end of the month. The broadcast flag takes its name from the bit of computer
code that would be embedded in digital television signals and would be read
by "compliant" devices such as a television set or a digital video recorder.

...
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