Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

EFF Goes To Court To Fight The Broadcast Flag

Posted by timothy on from the grappling-with-the-angel-of-bureaucracy dept.

Silwenae writes "The Electronic Frontier Foundation and nine other organizations including Public Knowledge (PK) and the American Library Association (ALA) have gone to court to fight the Broadcast Flag. The press release sums it up: The brief argues that the FCC has no authority to regulate digital TV sets and other digital devices unless specifically instructed to do so by Congress. While the FCC does have jurisdiction over TV transmissions, transmissions are not at issue here. The broadcast flag limits the way digital material can be used after the broadcast has already been received."

4 of 287 comments (clear)

  1. Re:fp? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    next time try to not make shit up.

    a TBC is 10000% useless on a DIGITAL video stream let alone the mpeg2 compressed HD video stream used in HDTV.

    get a complete clue. your information is so 1985.

  2. As long as Bush is in power... by JustNiz · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    No individuals or (relatively) small groups will ever win any case no matter how valid, if it reduces the control, power or profitability of large companies.

  3. Stupid. Remember the V-Chip? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    What a colossal waste of the EFF's money. The FCC has been regulating unrelated-to-broadcasting-ability contents of receiving devices since (at least) 1999 when they first required receivers to include a V-Chip (http://www.fcc.gov/vchip/).

  4. Re:Delaying the inevitable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Who gives a shit about HD.
    I could go out right now and walk up and down the street, knocking on doors and taking a poll and not one god damned neighbor would care about HD.
    We don't want it, we didn't ask for it and the government and MPAA can shove it up their collective ass.
    I'm not about to upgrade both my Sony Widescreen TV's or either of my ATI All In Wonder computer installations or pay the fuckin cable company one penny more for this crap.
    When it rains and the wind get's up here in Texas the regular cable sucks and digital cable will still suck.
    Actually it will suck worse as it'll be a pixelated suck and not a snowy but you could still watch it kinda suck.