Now this is an area that is getting my attention. What, in four more years I have to buy all new TVs? I can't time shift a program to suit my personal schedule? Come on give me a break.
Wired News - New Bill: More Digital TV Limits.
After spending a year in closed-door sessions with industry leaders, Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-Louisiana) released a draft of his long-awaited DTV bill. The controversial measure calls for the adoption of a broadcast flag, an end to analog television compatibility and increased cable interoperability.
"The lack of progress in private, inter-industry negotiations and the number of outstanding FCC rulemakings has led to uncertainty in the marketplace, and makes it very difficult for businesses to make solid plans for the future," Tauzin said.
However, some groups believe that in his effort to jump-start the digital television industry, Tauzin has given Hollywood the keys to control what American viewers do in their living rooms.
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"The bill asserts that fair use will be protected at the same time as providing content providers with bulletproof piracy protection," said a statement released by DigitalConsumer.org. "But no such technology exists to meet both of these goals."
The group worries that movie studios and television networks will force people to pay premium prices so they can record and transfer shows between devices -- something they have traditionally been able to do with their VCRs for free.
Cable companies, which deliver television to more than 73 million U.S. homes, have insisted that consumers won't be charged for such services. However, those promises rang a bit hollow after it was reported this week that Cablevision inadvertently blocked 3 million subscribers from recording its shows because of a technological snafu.
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An addition to the bill also requires that analog ports no longer be added to digital televisions. That would render VCRs and other analog media obsolete, a concern for those who believe emerging technology restricts consumers' fair use of digital content.
With analog devices legislated out of existence, Electronic Frontier Foundation technologist Seth Schoen said Tauzin's bill would allow the government to control the next crop of consumer electronics.
"This bill is a bit narrower than Holling's bill, but it's still being made along the same lines," said Schoen.
[Privacy Digest]
