New bill will make analog VCRs and TVs illegal in 2006
Rep. Billy Tauzin has released a "discussion draft" of a bill to be introduced this session that will ensure that the Broadcast Flag mandate will come to pass. The Broadcast Flag is a ridiculous bit of anti-freedom policy that allows a video signal to tell receivers, "Don't let me be copied." The bill will require every device that can be used as a receiver -- including general-purpose PCs -- to employ only "approved" technologies. Moreover, this particular bill goes even farther, requiring that all analog-outputting TV devices be discontinued by 2006: that's right, your TV, VCR, camcorder, DVD player, and TiVo will all be obsolete in 2006. Hello, landfill! Here's a link to Digital Consumer's one-pager on the bill. Link Discuss (Thanks, Joe!)Share this post
Cory Doctorow
Upcoming appearances
* Feb 9, 2012, DeKalb, IL: Day of Doctorow, NIU
* Feb 10-12, 2012, Chicago, IL: Capricon 32
* Feb 13, 2012, Arlington, TX: UT Arlington College of Engineering Distinguished Speaker Series
* Feb 16, 2012, Victoria, BC: 13th Annual Privacy and Security Conference
Recent books:
* Context (essays)
* With a Little Help (short stories)
* For the Win (YA novel)
* Makers (adult novel)
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