Give the Broadcast Flag a TKO



from the Electronic Frontier Foundation

We have the Broadcast Flag on the ropes, but its supporters are flailing back. The Broadcast Flag, a plan to give Hollywood remote control of how you record, copy, transfer, or replay over-the-air digital television, was knocked flat by the courts.

Now the film and TV industries are running to Congress to get the fix in.

The current plan: sneak a few lines of innocuous-sounding law past legislators to give the FCC the sweeping regulatory authority it needs re-instate the Flag. That would restore Hollywood's power to dictate the design of any digital equipment capable of receiving broadcasts - and once again, technology innovators would be forced to beg permission to provide you with the features and functionality for exercising your fair use rights.

The lawyers and lobbyists are moving fast, but you can move faster. Tell your representative you don't want Hollywood to hobble your digital media devices, and knock out the Broadcast Flag for good.