The FCC has once again handed over the keys to their overlords, the Hollywood media conglomerates. Yesterday, they approved the “broadcast flag,” a sneaky little bit of technocrap that will give broadcasters the power to deny your ability to record programs broadcast over the publicly-owned airwaves – you know, the ones the FCC gave them for free for their digital television stations.
Hollywood, ever wary, is fighting the digital transition tooth and nail, claiming that it is the beginning of the end for their product; this despite the fact that movie studios continue to make record profits year after year. Remember, these are the same sky-is-falling doomsayers who make vast sums of money on home video, even though they led a fight to ban the home VCR.
They’re worried that people will record perfect digital copies of television shows then share then via the internet. In what fantasy world? I can see it now – imagine the profits that NBC will lose when those pirates post every episode of “Average Joe” and other quality fare on the internet in perfect digital clarity. Considering the crap that’s being broadcast these days — and the barrage of ads that coer the screen like graffiti — does it really matter? What the hell are they trying to protect? Television is no longer a vast wasteland, it’s now a vast cesspool.
But what about HDTV? Yeah, if I had a T1 connection, I’d love to download a high definition version of one of those CBS sitcoms about a big fat schlub who inexplicably lives with a slim, trim, blonde model for a wife. It would be worth the 19 hour download, wouldn’t it?
Hollywood has somehow managed to survive and prosper despite the fact that we all get free, over the air TV and we all have VCRs to record it. They’ve made more money every year even though we have TiVo. And the DVD revolution brought them even more cash, proving that if you price the product reasonably, people will buy it.
This new Broadcast Flag is not only unnecessary, it’s insulting and pointless. Equipment manufacturers will now be required to add new circuitry to home entertainment equipment, disabling your ability to use it. And you’ll pay for the privilege of not being able to record the programs that are broadcast into your home via your publicly-owned spectrum.
