[mythtv-users] SlightOT - Broadcast flag - current status?

[Wendy Seltzer]

At 12:35 AM 4/26/2005 +0000, colliepon wrote:
>Was wondering if anyone following things more closely than me could give 
>an update on the status of the broadcast flag issue, which i'd heard was 
>under challenge.  So those without know whether to order HDTV cards soon 
>or not.  ;)

We're waiting for the D.C. Circuit to rule on our challenge to the FCC's 
jurisdiction to impose the broadcast flag.  They sounded sympathetic to us 
at oral argument, then asked for extra briefing on standing -- wanting to 
make sure that the plaintiffs (EFF, ALA, Public Knowledge) had specific 
harms that had or would be likely to occur.  They could rule any day.

If they don't throw it out, the flag mandate takes effect July 1, 
2005.  That will make it impossible to manufacture in the U.S. cards like 
the HD-3000 or Air2PC.
If the court does strike down the FCC's flag, I suspect we'll see heavy 
lobbying to Congress to re-impose it.

--Wendy

--
Wendy Seltzer -- wendy at seltzer.com
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/seltzer.html
Chilling Effects: http://www.chillingeffects.org/