Yeah! A Republican actually standing up to over-reaching business is a wondrous thing. Could ‘real’ Republicans be on the comeback, neocons and cultural conservatives who want government to control our lives having been kicked out of office right and left? One can only dream…
Senator to FCC: Don’t even think about a broadcast flag
Senator John Sununu (R-NH) has just announced that his office is working on legislation that would prevent the FCC from creating specific technology mandates that have to be followed by consumer electronics manufacturers. What’s his target? The broadcast flag.
Television and movie studios have wanted a broadcast flag for years. The flag is a short analog or digital signal embedded into broadcasts that specifies what users can do with the content. It would most often be used to prevent any copying of broadcast material, but there’s an obvious problem with the plan: it requires recording devices to pay attention to the flag. Because no consumers wander the aisles at Best Buy thinking, “You know, I would definitely buy this DVD recorder, but only if it supported broadcast flag technology,” the industry has asked the federal government to step in and simply require manufacturers to respect the flag.
“Whether well-intentioned or not, the FCC has no business interfering in private industry to satisfy select special interests or to impose its own views.”
Would you expect anything less from Sununu? He hasn’t been with the neocon crowd, but is interested in gaining power… and this is a smart way to do it.
While the bill is a good idea, realistically the flag has been doomed to failure from day one. I’ve been shocked at how reactionary the tech community has been over it.
Then again, considering the overlap between the tech and tinfoil hat communities, maybe I shouldn’t be…
THIS JUST IN: Senator John Sunun (R-NH) was found tragically shot to death this morning on the front porch of his home. The police have only one clue to the shooter: a card left on the dead man’s chest, bearing the mysterious words “NEVER CROSS THE MPAA”, along with the symbol of a film canister above two crossed bones. If you have any tips, please call the FBI…
Sununu is up for reelection in 2008. Along with several other republicans, he is in danger of losing his seat. I suspect this might have more to do with his currying favor with consumers then being anti FCC.
I never thought I’d agree with John Sununu on anything, but I’m glad to see him standing up for this. #3 may be right about trying to curry favor with his constituents, but whatever his motives, it’s damn time that Congress represent the consumer who elect them.
3. “I suspect this might have more to do with his currying favor with consumers then being anti FCC.”
It’s sad that we find something improper when an elected official takes the side of the electorate over corporate interests.
I’m very happy to see someone step up. Now, if we can only get net nutrality going.
Fusion is right though….Sununu is supposedly the most endangered Republican Senator for 2008.
“Whether well-intentioned or not, the FCC has no business interfering in private industry to satisfy select special interests or to impose its own views.”
I am 100% against the broadcast flag, but the above statement is pretty funny on its own. The government (its laws and executive agencies) have their fingers in EVERYTHING, right or wrong. Everybody is against government overreach until their neighbor tries to build a 10 story house blocking their view of the ocean. Then, of course, governmental zoning laws are good.
My libertarian devils dictionary: “Special interests” – anybody that doesn’t believe what you believe.
I posted before, and will so again…
LOOK hard…
DVR/HD/BR dvd, recorder…
But HOw do you make copies?? HOw do you back it up??
It wont be an option.
Wow… What conspiracy theories! He’s doing this just to get re-elected? I would think voting this way would have the opposite effect. His opponent can easily say, “he voted FOR piracy” (even though I completely disagree with that statement). Elections are all about spin, and his opponent would be certain to spin it that way.
#9:
If his opponent says “he voted FOR piracy,” well that’s yet another win for him, except from voting board members! This is a win all-around for Sununu.
#7,
Uh, yup. That about sums it up.
#5, It is when the politician is inconsistent that suspicions arise. If Sununu had a history of being consumer / constituent friendly then this wouldn’t be an issue. Now that he has seen the wind blowing away from his ideals he is asking for the headlines.
While your point is very valid and I caution against criticism solely for the sake of criticism, I think Sununu has earned a bit of skepticism over his motives.
But I do agree with his stance about the flag.
So Sununu is only performing his job (protecting his constituents’ interests) just so that he can get relected, and can then continue to represent voter interests? Wow, Sununu just might be onto to something radical here.
Sorry folks, every current DVD recorder that I know of already _voluntarily_ implements CGMS-A, the broadcast flag that restricts recording of content even when it’s passed over ANALOG paths to the recorder (the restrictive code is placed in the vertical blanking interval). I learned this through much digging during my investigation of new DVD recorders (my old one without CGMS-A is getting flaky). The salesman at Best Buy thought only digital signals could be restricted by a broadcast flag. Nope!
Congress can do whatever it wants to prevent a MANDATE for video recording hardware to recognize a broadcast flag, but every manufacturer is already implementing it voluntarily. I guess that maybe, just maybe they might remove this crap if they KNEW that it would never be mandated. Maybe…
However, what government agency actually MANDATED the onerous hardware and software protection of “premium content” in Windows Vista? Answer: none. The mess was implemented voluntarily.
#’s 4, 5, 9, 13 – huzzah. Hear hear. You saved me some typing…
Sununu also voted against the Patriot Act renewal, getting some concessions on warrant requirements. I wish you guys would be more consistent about government mandates for technology. Why did the FCC mandate HDTV in the first place?