Electronic Frontier Foundation Rejects Broadcast Flag

[Gregg Lengling]

Urges FCC to Stop Hollywood from Dominating Technology

 
 
  SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 23, 2002 -- The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) rejected Hollywood's "Broadcast Flag" proposal, advising the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to set aside Hollywood's latest bid to undermine fair use and stymie innovation.

EFF filed comments with the FCC opposing the Broadcast Flag proposal because the proposal would give Hollywood unwarranted control over the development of digital television (DTV) and related technologies to the detriment of creators and consumers of the technologies.

"A broadcast flag mandate is an ineffective solution to a non-existent problem," explained EFF in its comments on the proposed rulemaking submitted to the FCC. "At the same time, any broadcast flag mandate will impose genuine and substantial costs on consumers and innovators. It would raise the cost of DTV devices while reducing the value that they represent to consumers. It would stifle innovation in DTV and general-purpose technologies. It would abridge the First Amendment freedoms of software authors. All of this, in the end, will impede, rather than encourage, the transition to DTV."