Congress is holding a “Lame Duck” session to pass a few budgetary and miscellaneous bills. Like a hobo seeing a train moving, Hollywood and the recording industry and their broadcast and radio flags are trying to jump aboard.
Here’s what’s going down: the Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist (R-TN) in one of his last acts before he leaves office at the end of the year, is trying to do a favor for his former chief of staff, Mitch Bainwol, who now heads the RIAA. The idea is to slip the radio flag onto any bill that could potentially pass. In the past, where one flag would go, the other would follow, so we’re betting that Hollywood will not be far behind in their request to add the broadcast flag to the mix.
Just as a reminder, the broadcast flag is the government-mandated DRM scheme for over-the-air broadcast TV, that could cripple your current home entertainment system. Once you introduce one broadcast flag compliant device, it will refuse to talk to your current non-compliant devices, requiring you to upgrade it all. What’s worse is that there are 13 different technologies that are broadcast flag compliant, but they’re not even compatible with each other. The radio flag is even less discriminating in its prohibition of recording and copying of over-the-air digital radio broadcasts. Consumers have long had the freedom to record digital audio, in part thanks to the Audio Home Recording Act, which also requires consumer-electronics manufacturers to pay the recording industry a royalty for each device that can record digital audio.
Like every other effort to pass these flags, these are behind-closed-doors deals to attach it to other bills that actually need to be passed.
ALL HANDS ON DECK! Your senators need to know that you, as their constituent, have a major problem with the broadcast and radio flags. Using the talking points and contact information below, give your members’ offices a call and tell them why the broadcast and radio flags are a bad idea. You can also fax them a letter by filling out the form we have here.
Once again, thank you for your effort!
The Public Knowledge Team
TALKING POINTS
Efforts at moving these flags are all occurring behind closed doors, without a true or fair political process.
Government Mandated DRM is a Bad Idea: Content protection is one thing, but government mandated content protection that puts the FCC in the role of gatekeeper for new technologies is wrong. There are other options for protecting content, and the marketplace should sort them out.
This is a Broad Mandate: There is no “narrow” way to implement the broadcast flag scheme because it necessarily puts the FCC in the role of gatekeeper, having to approve and certify every technology that might carry DTV - computers, cellphones, gameboys, etc. Drafts of the language is broad so as to give the FCC permission to do both the broadcast flag and radio protection. As proof of the broad scope of the flag, when petitioned to exempt lawful uses of digital television, the FCC declined saying “practical and legal difficulties of determining which types of broadcast content merit protection from indiscriminate redistribution and which do not.”
Causes Consumer Confusion, Will Slow DTV Transition, and Probably Halt Digital Radio Rollout: At a time when Congress is concerned about making television sets obsolete at the end of the DTV transition, the flag would similarly render obsolete much consumer equipment because commonly used devices will not work together unless all use the same copy protection technology. The broadcast flag will not help the transition to DTV, and indeed might harm it because it makes consumers’ TVs less functional than before. Digital radio protection is aimed at being intrusive and restraining inside a consumers own home.
Limits Fair Use: As the May 11, 2005 Congressional Research Service report noted, the flag will prevent important fair uses, like the ability of teachers to engage in distance learning and the ability of individuals to email fair use portions of works to themselves and others. Making excerpts for public criticism of television media is critical, yet it will be severely limited as a result of this legislation. The radio flags are no better, as they prevent digital recording and copying for many purposes, not out of fear of piracy, but because of competition with other revenue streams. Additionally, a consumers ability to digitally record is protected under the Audio Home Recording Act, and for which royalty payments are made to the recording industry for manufactured digital audio recording devices.
Not about P2P: The infringement associated with Revenge of the Sith and other movies that have appeared online has absolutely nothing to do with the flag. Rather, the flag is about protecting supposedly “free” over the air digital television. MPAA provided no evidence that this content was being pirated nor would it be anytime in the near future. Similarly, the RIAA has provided zero convincing evidence that recording off the radio has lead to Internet piracy.
Content Already Shown in HD with NO PROTECTION: In contrast to the argument that broadcasters won’t put on “high value” content, we note that most prime time television is already broadcast in HDTV, without protection. Viacom threatened in 2002 to withhold programming, but did not do so and is now one of the leading producers of HDTV.
LIST OF SENATORS AND CONTACT INFO — BY STATE
- Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) (202) 224-6665
- Stevens, Ted (R-AK) (202) 224-3004
- Sessions, Jeff (R-AL) (202) 224-4124
- Shelby, Richard C. (R-AL) (202) 224-5744
- Lincoln, Blanche L. (D-AR) (202) 224-4843
- Pryor, Mark L. (D-AR) (202) 224-2353
- Kyl, Jon (R-AZ) (202) 224-4521
- McCain, John (R-AZ) (202) 224-2235
- Boxer, Barbara (D-CA) (202) 224-3553
- Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA) (202) 224-3841
- Allard, Wayne (R-CO) (202) 224-5941
- Salazar, Ken (D-CO) (202) 224-5852
- Dodd, Christopher J. (D-CT) (202) 224-2823
- Lieberman, Joseph I. (D-CT) (202) 224-4041
- Biden, Joseph R., Jr. (D-DE) (202) 224-5042
- Carper, Thomas R. (D-DE) (202) 224-2441
- Martinez, Mel (R-FL) (202) 224-3041
- Nelson, Bill (D-FL) (202) 224-5274
- Chambliss, Saxby (R-GA) (202) 224-3521
- Isakson, Johnny (R-GA) (202) 224-3643
- Akaka, Daniel K. (D-HI) (202) 224-6361
- Inouye, Daniel K. (D-HI) (202) 224-3934
- Grassley, Chuck (R-IA) (202) 224-3744
- Harkin, Tom (D-IA) (202) 224-3254
- Craig, Larry E. (R-ID) (202) 224-2752
- Crapo, Mike (R-ID) (202) 224-6142
- Durbin, Richard (D-IL) (202) 224-2152
- Obama, Barack (D-IL) (202) 224-2854
- Bayh, Evan (D-IN) (202) 224-5623
- Lugar, Richard G. (R-IN) (202) 224-4814
- Brownback, Sam (R-KS) (202) 224-6521
- Roberts, Pat (R-KS) (202) 224-4774
- Bunning, Jim (R-KY) (202) 224-4343
- McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) (202) 224-2541
- Landrieu, Mary L. (D-LA) (202) 224-5824
- Vitter, David (R-LA) (202) 224-4623
- Kennedy, Edward M. (D-MA) (202) 224-4543
- Kerry, John F. (D-MA) (202) 224-2742
- Mikulski, Barbara A. (D-MD) (202) 224-4654
- Sarbanes, Paul S. (D-MD) (202) 224-4524
- Collins, Susan M. (R-ME) (202) 224-2523
- Snowe, Olympia J. (R-ME) (202) 224-5344
- Levin, Carl (D-MI) (202) 224-6221
- Stabenow, Debbie (D-MI) (202) 224-4822
- Coleman, Norm (R-MN) (202) 224-5641
- Dayton, Mark (D-MN) (202) 224-3244
- Bond, Christopher S. (R-MO) (202) 224-5721
- Talent, James M. (R-MO) (202) 224-6154
- Cochran, Thad (R-MS) (202) 224-5054
- Lott, Trent (R-MS) (202) 224-6253
- Baucus, Max (D-MT) (202) 224-2651
- Burns, Conrad (R-MT) (202) 224-2644
- Burr, Richard (R-NC) (202) 224-3154
- Dole, Elizabeth (R-NC) (202) 224-6342
- Conrad, Kent (D-ND) (202) 224-2043
- Dorgan, Byron L. (D-ND) (202) 224-2551
- Hagel, Chuck (R-NE) (202) 224-4224
- Nelson, E. Benjamin (D-NE) (202) 224-6551
- Gregg, Judd (R-NH) (202) 224-3324
- Sununu, John E. (R-NH) (202) 224-2841
- Lautenberg, Frank R. (D-NJ) (202) 224-3224
- Menendez, Robert (D-NJ) (202) 224-4744
- Bingaman, Jeff (D-NM) (202) 224-5521
- Domenici, Pete V. (R-NM) (202) 224-6621
- Ensign, John (R-NV) (202) 224-6244
- Reid, Harry (D-NV) (202) 224-3542
- Clinton, Hillary Rodham (D-NY) (202) 224-4451
- Schumer, Charles E. (D-NY) (202) 224-6542
- DeWine, Mike (R-OH) (202) 224-2315
- Voinovich, George V. (R-OH) (202) 224-3353
- Coburn, Tom (R-OK) (202) 224-5754
- Inhofe, James M. (R-OK) (202) 224-4721
- Smith, Gordon H. (R-OR) (202) 224-3753
- Wyden, Ron (D-OR) (202) 224-5244
- Santorum, Rick (R-PA) (202) 224-6324
- Specter, Arlen (R-PA) (202) 224-4254
- Chafee, Lincoln (R-RI) (202) 224-2921
- Reed, Jack (D-RI) (202) 224-4642
- DeMint, Jim (R-SC) (202) 224-6121
- Graham, Lindsey (R-SC) (202) 224-5972
- Johnson, Tim (D-SD) (202) 224-5842
- Thune, John (R-SD) (202) 224-2321
- Alexander, Lamar (R-TN) (202) 224-4944
- Frist, William H. (R-TN) (202) 224-3344
- Cornyn, John (R-TX) (202) 224-2934
- Hutchison, Kay Bailey (R-TX) (202) 224-5922
- Bennett, Robert F. (R-UT) (202) 224-5444
- Hatch, Orrin G. (R-UT) (202) 224-5251
- Allen, George (R-VA) (202) 224-4024
- Warner, John (R-VA) (202) 224-2023
- Jeffords, James M. (I-VT) (202) 224-5141
- Leahy, Patrick J. (D-VT) (202) 224-4242
- Cantwell, Maria (D-WA) (202) 224-3441
- Murray, Patty (D-WA) (202) 224-2621
- Feingold, Russell D. (D-WI) (202) 224-5323
- Kohl, Herb (D-WI) (202) 224-5653
- Byrd, Robert C. (D-WV) (202) 224-3954
- Rockefeller, John D., IV (D-WV) (202) 224-6472
- Enzi, Michael B. (R-WY) (202) 224-3424
- Thomas, Craig (R-WY) (202) 224-6441
