A 135-page senate bill has been proposed to give a major makeover of the Communications Act of 1934, which would mandate the broadcast flag for both audio and video transmissions, virtually prohibit the sales of analogue televisions from March 2007 and affect broadband communications. This bill is known as the "Communications, consumer's Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act". It is currently a working draft at present, which will be subject to changes.
If enforced in its current state, it would give the FCC the authorisation to begin outlawing digital radio and satellite receivers with recording capabilities, unless they obey the broadcast flag embedded in broadcasts. This would also cover PC Digital TV & radio tuners. On the other hand, the broadcast flag will allow the recording of short excerpts and most news broadcasts will be excluded from the broadcast flag. The Congress will also be given the authority to pass laws to regulate digital and satellite radio.
When it comes to television, the bill will require the shutdown of analogue transmissions on the February 17th, 2009. To help make consumers aware of the change, all retail store analogue TVs will need to have an advisory tag with a set message to warn consumers that they will need to obtain a converter box after February 17, 2009 to watch over-the-air broadcasts. This tag will become mandatory from 60 days after the bill gets signed into law. From March 1st, 2007, the bill will also prohibit the sale of any analogue televisions that have a diagonal screen size of 13 inches or greater, unless they incorporate a digital tuner. Thanks to RTV71 for letting us know about this news.
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Jonathan Lamy, a spokesman for the Recording Industry Association of America, called it "a necessary and appropriate focus on an issue critical to record labels, songwriters, publishers, artists and many others in the music community." The RIAA is worried about newer receivers, such as the Sirius S50, that it says let Americans assemble a personal music library without paying for it. Stevens did seem, however, to bow to pressure from technology groups and the consumer electronics industry when devising related regulations to copy-protect digital video. His legislation would order the FCC to ban digital TV tuners, such as ElGato's EyeTV 500, that let users record over-the-air broadcasts and save them without copy protection. The full c|net story can be read here. Some further information can be read on this ExtremeVoIP article. |
While it is interesting to see that the bill proposes to warn consumers about the digital change over should they look at buying an analogue TV, to me it seems that they are more interested in just getting the notorious dreaded flag back in again and taking control away from the consumer, particularly when it comes to recording TV programmes. For example, as TV episodes are often sold later on DVD, the broadcast flag is likely there to prevent consumers from building their own episode collection and forcing them to purchase the DVD set instead.
RTV71 added: I think it's time to stop voting for the two "major" parties and start supporting some of the smaller ones that haven't been corrupted.
Source: c|net News -
The poor remain poor - and free. (why?)
The duteous middle class worker has to work longer to enjoy the short & ass-expensive free time he got.
An unhealthy, stressful lifestyle makes you spend your money on wierd, artificial food.
Time optimized max. fitness is found in massive Gyms (with air-filters and AC).
And now we have to go another step to place ourselves under disability being maltreated with this bullshit!
to CORRSA: Paying for air?
Well maybe yet another buisness plan behind the US environmental politics. Soon everyone will have an oxygen tank next to his oil/gas tank - or die at the age of 35 
To quote John Prine: "Blow up yer TV, thow away your paper, move into the country, build you a home". I don't think that these folks understand that TV, radio, movies and the internet are not "necessities". Make them difficult enough to access and I simply won't use them!
I still think they're going to have have to push back the analog cutoff thing.
I still think a majority of people still use analog. However I don't get if this cutoff just means they're going prohobit local antenna based tv, or if it means cable companies can't distribute analog cablevision anymore anyways.
i hope this doesn't make it through.. even though I'm not american, (I'm Canadian), it would be easier for companies to manufacture devices with the drm crap installed for both countries, rather then make drm free devices for Canada.
Theres an election in the fall, maybe it'll just get lost in the shuffle.Think of the impact when they realize they cant afford TV anymore AAAHAHAHA
TV is the number one drug to keep a population under control. Maybe there will be a 2nd Woodstock movement, more serial-killers (raging mad cuz of a flag-message in front of their beloved soap-opera). Think of all the social problems the screen in every livingroom soothes 
i see revolution in decades to come...
Happy Birthday to you 
