[mythtv-users] [US] Help stop the broadcast flag, again

[Wendy Seltzer]

We've heard rumors that the Broadcast Flag that we, EFF, and a 
coalition of pressure groups have fought so hard against (and beat in 
the courts) will be sneaked back via an amendment to the giant Senate 
Appropriations Bill in a sub-committee at 2PM EST on Tuesday 21st. 
This week is Hollywood's last chance to ram the flag past Congress, 
and they're working hard to get it under the radar.  As you know, the 
Broadcast Flag would make it illegal for pcHDTV or Air2PC to keep 
making or importing HDTV tuner cards in the U.S.

If you're in any of the following states, your Senators are members 
of the sub-committee. People of Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, 
Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, 
North Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin - it's up to 
you!

There's a sample script after the phone list. Remember: be cool, 
collected and polite. Most of these senators won't know a thing about 
the flag, until one of them makes it a throwaway amendment tomorrow. 
Make sure their ears twitch when they hear "broadcast flag" today.

ALABAMA Senator Richard Shelby (202) 224-5744
ALASKA Senator Ted Stevens (202) 224-3004
HAWAII Senator Daniel Inouye (202) 224-3934
IOWA Senator Tom Harkin (202) 224-3254
KANSAS Senator Sam Brownback (202) 224-6521
KENTUCKY Senator Mitch McConnell (202) 224-2541
MARYLAND Senator Barbara Mikulski (202) 224-4654
MISSOURI Senator Christopher Bond (202) 224-5721
NEW HAMPSHIRE Senator Judd Gregg (202) 224-3324
NEW MEXICO Senator Pete Domenici (202) 224-6621
NORTH DAKOTA Senator Byron Dorgan (202) 224-2551
TEXAS Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (202) 224-5922
VERMONT Senator Patrick Leahy (202) 224-4242
WASHINGTON Senator Patty Murray (202) 224-2621
WISCONSIN Senator Herb Kohl (202) 224-5653

"Hello, Senator _________'s office"

"Hi, I'm a constituent. I'm registering my opposition to the 
broadcast flag amendment being introduced in the Senate Commerce 
Justice and Science Appropriations subcommittee mark-up on Tuesday, 
and in full committee on Thursday."

(*** You can give your own reasons for opposing the flag here. Here's 
a sample: ***)

"I've been developing my own television-watching technology -- but I 
won't be able to buy new parts if the Broadcast Flag goes through."

"The Broadcast Flag cripples any device capable of receiving 
over-the-air digital broadcasts."

"It give Hollywood movie studios a permanent veto over how members of 
the American public use our televisions."

"It forces American innovators to beg the FCC for permission before 
adding new features to TV."

"It will prevent fair use of copyrighted works: critical review, and 
use of material in distance learning"

"This is an important issue which will affect all Americans, and 
should not be inserted in a large bill, at the last moment, with no 
debate."

"Please oppose the broadcast flag amendment. My name and address are 
___________________."

"Thank you for your time."


Thanks!
--Wendy
-- 
--
Wendy Seltzer -- wendy at seltzer.com || wendy at eff.org
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/seltzer.html
http://www.eff.org/broadcastflag/