The debate on digital copyright and broadcast flag technology flared up last week at the Federal Communications Commission, with the president of the Motion Picture Association of America addressing some of the issues brought to the Portals office on the issue.
In a letter sent to FCC Chairman Michael Powell, MPAA's Jack Valenti said he wanted to "set the record straight" concerning the broadcast flag, technology aimed at protecting digital content, and the association's take on copyright-protection issues. He said the broadcast flag would place free, over-the-air broadcasting "on a level playing field" in terms of its ability to protect high-value content from "massive unauthorized redistribution on the Internet and other digital network."
Valenti said the broadcast flag would have no effect on the ability of consumers to record digital programming, and won't impact all consumer electronics and computers. "It will affect a relatively small universe of consumer equipment - only devices that can modulate and re-modulate digital TV broadcast signals," he said.
The MPAA executive asked the FCC to adopt regulations implementing the broadcast flag. "Delay will allow legacy devices to enter the marketplace in large numbers, diminishing the effectiveness of the flag and creating consumer confusion and inconvenience," Valenti said.
