Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["Christian Stalberg" <cpsr_rtp AT internet-lab.com>]

>
> An Action Alert forwarded by CPSR . . .
>
> . . .  Action Alert:
> --------------------------------------
>
> Tell the FCC to Serve the Public, Not Hollywood!
>
> Send Public Comments to the FCC AGAIN to Stop the "Broadcast Flag"
>
>
> Please follow these links to let the FCC know that the public's rights are
> at stake:
> http://www.nyfairuse.org/action/fcc.flag/
>
> What's Going On:
>
> The FCC is expected to decide this week that digital televisions will be
> required to work only according to the rules set by Hollywood, through the
> use of a "broadcast flag" assigned to digital TV broadcasts.
>
> As a result of the deliberations of a group called the Broadcast
Protection
> Discussion Group, which has assiduously discounted the public's rights to
> use flexible information technology, Hollywood and leading technology
> players have devised a plan that would only allow "professionals" to have
> fully-functional devices for processing digital broadcast materials.
>
> Almost a year ago, you responded to our call to tell the FCC that they are
> to serve the public, not Hollywood.  You delivered more than 4000 comments
> to the the FCC's public comments system in the space of the last week of
> their public comments period for the broadcast flag proposal.  As a result
> of this, Congress took notice and called a hearing to question the FCC on
> the issue.  When they asked the FCC's representative whether he believed
> they could make this copyright-related policy decision without stepping
> beyond their bounds and into Congress's jurisdiction, they answered in one
> word: "Yes."
>
> Now, their period of considering the proposal is drawing to an end, and
they
> are expected to decide to mandate the broadcast flag in a matter of days,
by
> the end of this month.  It's time to demonstrate AGAIN that the public's
> interests take priority over the wishes of the MPAA.
>
> The idea of the broadcast flag is to implement universal content control
and
> abolish the right of free citizens to own effective tools for employing
> digital content in useful ways.  Hollywood and content producers must not
be
> allowed to determine the rights of the public to use flexible information
> technology.  The broadcast flag is theft.
>
> In the ongoing fight with old world content industries, the most essential
> rights and interests in a free society are those of the public.  Free
> citizens are not mere consumers; they are not a separate group from
> so-called "professionals." The stakeholders in a truly just information
> policy in a free society are the public, not those who would reserve
special
> rights to control public uses of information technology.
>
> Please let the FCC know that the public's rights are at stake:
> http://www.nyfairuse.org/action/fcc.flag/.
>
> Here is a page pulling together and summarizing the comments submitted
after
> the last comments campaign:
> http://www.nyfairuse.org/bfpc/
>
> Here is our Reply Comment:
> http://www.nyfairuse.org/bfpc/extdoc/NPRM%2002-231%20Reply%20Comments.pdf
>
> ----
>
> The following link is the FCC's "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" for the
> broadcast flag.
>
> http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-02-231A1.pdf
>
>