Americans: 24 hours to stop the broadcast flag.

DarkWolfe · Post by **DarkWolfe** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 6:53 pm

[quote="Deacon";p="511075"]Not everyone's read the Hitchiker's Guide, DW

[/quote]

I feel better now Deacon, thanks.

Koreth · Post by **Koreth** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 7:43 pm

[quote="DarkWolfe";p="511076"][quote="Deacon";p="511075"]Not everyone's read the Hitchiker's Guide, DW

[/quote]

I feel better now Deacon, thanks.

[/quote]

I don't! A brit that hasn't read Hitchhiker's Guide? That's blasphemy!

Didn't that book come from one of their own and wasn't it a part of their pop culture?

Kidding aside, yes DW, America can't be seen now. SEP feilds rock.

Skorpion · Post by **Skorpion** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 1:38 am

*facepalm*

Wha... Who said that?

I have read the book. I acknowledged the joke.

Perhaps the SEP field has extended to me, instead?

Deacon · Post by **Deacon** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 1:49 am

OK, so you're just not a talented humor writer. That's cool

Sir Xander · Post by **Sir Xander** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 1:51 am

I agree with Cyrus, this makes Xander a sad panda as well.

Post by **Martin Blank** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 2:38 am

The amendment was never added to the bill. No broadcast flag for now.

Deacon · Post by **Deacon** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 3:05 am

Success indeed. I guess. Inasmuch as an absence of evil is good.

TopCat · Post by **TopCat** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 3:15 am

[quote="Jamie Bond";p="511055"]I live in Canada.

Soo... sucks to be you I guess

[/quote]

sucks to be you too
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/06/21/ca ... trodu.html

[quote="Martin Blank";p="511324"]The amendment was never added to the bill. No broadcast flag for now.[/quote]

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/06/22/sl ... te_we.html

EvilPanda · Post by **EvilPanda** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 3:17 am

[quote="DarkWolfe";p="511044"][quote="Skorpion";p="511038"]'Course, I'm designating America in general as 'somebody else's problem'. They can't be bothered to treat people like people instead of cattle or morons, I can't be bothered to recognise the government's authority.[/quote]

So if we're an SEP does that mean you can't see us?[/quote]

Good reference.

Yea, my state wasn't listed.

MasteR · Post by **MasteR** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 5:29 am

[quote="Martin Blank";p="511324"]The amendment was never added to the bill. No broadcast flag for now.[/quote]

I get the feeling they didn't because of the size of the reaction to the rumor. Why try to sneak something in when everyone knows about it and is on the lookout for it?

And btw, look what came in my email box today:

EFF Newletter wrote:* Action Update: EFF Supporters Slam Congress to Stop the
Broadcast Flag

Earlier this week, EFF learned that a "Broadcast Flag"
amendment might slip past legislative gates as part of
an appropriations bill. We quickly sent out an action alert
to EFF supporters in states with senators on the Senate
Appropriations Committee, warning that within 48
hours, we could see a new law that would give Hollywood
permanent veto power over how we use over-the-air
digital television and force American innovators to beg
the government for permission before adding new features
to TV.

It's easy to see how this could happen. Despite
the courts striking down the flag and powerful opposition
in the Internet community, in many circles it's still
considered "non-controversial."

But that was Monday evening.

Within the space of a few hours, the action alert hit
the Internet. And you slammed Congress.

By 6 p.m. on Tuesday, the 27 members of the Senate
Appropriations Committee received *more than 11,000
emails and faxes* from EFF supporters. That's nearly
500 faxes an hour. Dianne Feinstein alone received
more than 2,600 messages in her inbox. Kay Hutchison,
the senior senator for Texas, received 1,441 letters.

And these are just the numbers EFF has. We don't track
telephone calls. But we do know that many of you listened
when we joined Public Knowledge in urging you to call your
senators directly. If you tried to call and the line was
engaged, it was likely occupied by someone else griping
about the same amendment. Staffers report that they are
"swamped."

Today, the phone calls, email messages, and faxes continue
to flood in. This is a mass protest even without voices
from many of the more populous states, which don't have
senators on the committee.

Suffice it to say that you don't get that kind of reaction
except for *very* controversial bills. You did it. You
got the attention of every senator on the Appropriations
Committee.

And so far, it's working. No one proposed a Broadcast Flag
amendment in the sub-committee on Tuesday. The next
opportunity will be Thursday at 2 p.m. By then, everyone
on the committee will have been briefed by their besieged
staffers. And in the briefings will be words to the
effect that this is an issue with "a great deal of voter
concern."

For these senators, the Broadcast Flag now comes with its
own red flag.

It's not over yet. The entertainment industry lobbyists
won't give up easily, and there are plenty of sneaky tricks
left to pull.

But by acting now, you've given your legislator a reason to
decline Hollywood's advances. You may even have given a
few the back-up necessary to *keep* declining.

We challenge you to keep the momentum going. Tell your
friends and family about the Broadcast Flag, and forward the
URL below. You know can make a difference - you already
have.

Stop the Broadcast Flag!
<http://action.eff.org/site/Advocacy?id=145>

Public Knowledge action alert:
<http://www.publicknowledge.org/issues/bfapprops>

Edit:

Kay Hutchison, the senior senator for Texas, received 1,441 letters.

Cyrus, Phong, Deacon: That's our lady. Looks like she's being forced to listen.

Ruu · Post by **Ruu** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 7:07 am

So, if I understand this correctly, this broadcast flag would, among other things, prevent people from recording anything that was broadcast on television?

MasteR · Post by **MasteR** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 7:45 am

[quote="Ruu";p="511499"]So, if I understand this correctly, this broadcast flag would, among other things, prevent people from recording anything that was broadcast on television?[/quote]

Pretty much if thats what the movie studios wanted. If it passes it would give them control over the flag which would give them the right to choose what you can record, what you can not record, and how long you can keep the recordings of what you have recorded.

So lets say Star Wars is broadcast on the air. The MPAA may say "hey we are selling DVD's of this, lets not let them recorde this movie" and you can't do anything about it (unless you get around it's protection, which would then be a violation of the crappy DMCA). Forget about your fair use rights (which were proven in the Betamax VCR cases, if you remember).

Another situation: You recorded an entier season 4 of Chepelle Show and watch it a few times. A few weeks later Chepelle Show season 4 goes on sales in stores on DVD and POOF, your recordings on your TiVo are gone because "they" said so. Nevermind your fair use rights (which again were proven in the Betamax case), the broadcast flag now says what is fair according to the MPAA and other entertainment organizations.

Summary: It breaks your TV.

Edit:
Some more things:
Forget about building your own DVR/PVR using MythTV or similar, these ignore the flag and would be in voilation! Have fun using that crippled TiVo of yours.

Edit2:
And if they wanted they could render DVRs useless. If the flag on a particular program says "do not allow recording" then your TiVo or the like won't be able to record your favorite show while you are at work so you can enjoy it the following weekend.

DarkWolfe · Post by **DarkWolfe** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 12:51 pm

Yay, for once the system worked.....

Sir Xander · Post by **Sir Xander** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 1:36 pm

Kay Hutchison, the senior senator for Texas, received 1,441 letters.

As mine. And they say peer pressure is a bad thing.

Post by **Blaze** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 1:48 pm

I had sent one, even though Michigan isn't on the committee. You never knew if it would go to a full senate vote, or if it will come up again with another committee in something those sneaky Hollywood types try.

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