We had heard rumblings a few weeks ago that the MPAA was trying to push the broadcast flag, yet again. More recently we heard some more details that the content industry is trying to win over some in the consumer electronics industry to push for the technology mandate that would cripple many home devices and limit fair use of legally obtained content by consumers and educators alike.
You may remember the last push of the broadcast flag was buried in the series-of-tubes Senate telecommunications bill that thankfully went nowhere. That version’s language gave FCC the needed permission (which was lacking(PDF)) to instate the copy-protection scheme that would limit what you could do with over-the-air broadcast television.
One of the amendments to the broadcast flag portion of that bill would have essentially forced all the CE manufacturers to adopt one technology—made by Philips (a former staunch proponent of the broadcast flag). The other 12 manufacturers of broadcast flag-compliant technologies weren’t too keen on that, and worked with you to nix the bill.
Presumably, Philips would have to change its all-your-flags-belong-to-us stance for the something to happen, but that might be the pressure point MPAA is currently pushing. With so many broadcast flag non-compliant devices already in consumers homes and classrooms, it would be a shame if the flag became the technology that derailed the DTV transition.
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