ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 12, Number 95
November 7, 2003

In This Issue: Federal Communications Commission issues Broadcast Flag Ruling
 
 
On November 4, 2003, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided to enact broadcast flag copyright protection rules that would go into effect in 2005.  The ruling is designed to facilitate the transition to digital television (DTV) by mandating the "broadcast flag" copyright protection scheme.  Content providers have insisted that lack of adequate mechanisms to prevent piracy has delayed the transition to digital television. This ruling requires that all digital electronic devices and PCs include code (known as the "broadcast flag") that accompanies DTV signals to prevent redistribution of the digital content over the Internet.  http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-03-273A1.pdf  
 
In December 2002 ALA and the other major US library associations filed comments with the FCC on the impact of the then proposed rule.  The library associations have joined with consumer advocates, the consumer electronics industry and others in arguing that the imposition of the broadcast flag will prevent libraries, educational institutions and consumers  from exercising their fair use and other rights under copyright law and will hasten the advent of a world in which the consumer must pay to have access at electronic content. The FCC ruling takes another step toward giving content providers extensive control over what users can do with electronic content.  The rule also will lead to increased obsolescence in consumer electronics and ultimately leave the burden of increased cost on the shoulders of consumers.
 
For further information on the broadcast flag issue, go to: http://www.ala.org/copyright and go to Regulatory Issues.



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ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478 toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; e-mail: alawash@alawash.org; Web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff.  Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Camille Bowman, Mary Costabile, Don Essex, Patrice McDermott and Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Kathy Mitchell, Carrie Russell. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.