FCC’s Powell starts a blog
p2pnet.net News:- Michael Powell, appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission by president George W. Bush and a Broadcast Flag enthusiast, says one of the reason he’s started a blog is, “to hear from the tech community directly and to try to get beyond the traditional inside the Beltway Washington world where lobbyists filter the techies”.
Broadcast Flag is a warped (even by Hollywood standards) Hollywood nightmare which is fast becoming reality.
Under it, Consumer Control systems embedded in devices manufactured and sold by recording and hardware and software companies would allow Hollywood to legally, and literally, control what you play and/or view gaining, in the process, hitherto private, personal and confidential information.
Think about it.
“I am looking forward to an open, transparent and meritocracy-based communication – attributes that bloggers are famous for!” – says Powell, who’s the son of US secretary of state Colin Powell.
“Regulated interests have about an 80 year head start on the entrepreneurial tech community when it comes to informing regulators what they want and need, but if anyone can make up for that, Silicon Valley can,” he says. ” This is important not just for Silicon Valley – it’s essential to insure that America has the best, most innovate communications infrastructure.”
“… most innovate”?
“The high-tech community traditionally shied away from regulatory debates at the FCC and state regulatory commissions,” he says. “Perhaps staying off regulators’ radar screens has served entrepreneurs well in the past. Unfortunately, the era of salutary neglect is coming to an end. As regulators get involved in issues such as VoIP affecting high-tech industries, the collateral damage can be significant. As technologies, services, and legal policies converge, it is critical that the high-tech community understand the issues and engage them.”
And, “[...] I need to hear from the tech community as we transition to digital television“.
Well, all you high-techies who’ve been shying away now have a direct line in.
July 12th, 2004 at 2:01 am
Regarding digital television… The FCC was wise to adopted 8VSB modulation early and then stick by its guns as other countries and organizations tried to push COFDM on us. We stuck with 8VSB and now the US is #1 in the world with available HD content (surpasing Japan wich has had HDTV for over ten years now)
July 12th, 2004 at 9:47 pm
Who gives a flying blog what this guy does? He’s just another Hollywood employee.