http://theregus.com/content/6/24407.html
In that link they also have a link to read the actual bill they are trying to pass. Rediculous...
Here's what I pulled out of it...Maybe I missed something, and if I did, please tell me.
Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act - Considering it will do the exact opposite...that's a pretty bad name for it.
This bill requires all electronic devices to have copy protection built into it to stop piracy, in order to "promote digital television and consumer broadband". His reasoning? Because so much material is being copied illegally (between 7 and 11 million Americans estimated use software on the Internet to illegally swap files, he says...but compared to the number of Americans who don't [the other 250 million], that sounds pretty good), consumers don't want to get broadband or HDTV's because of the lack of good content.
Here is his exact words: "But if more high-quality content were available, consumers might come." Note the word 'might' - In other words, he wants the government to spend millions and millions of dollars into a proposal that would worsen the economy and might not work at all. Sounds like a plan.
He thinks that transmitters and receivers can just encode signals so they cannot be taken illegally and copied. Doubtful...
Here's another quote: "Technological solutions can be developed to protect digital content on digital broadcast television and over the Internet." I've noticed personally over the years how all restrictions that have been placed on the Internet have failed. I don't think there is any feasible way to restrain file transfers over the Internet.
Lastly, I think there is one big killer to this whole scheme - None of the existing technology has copy protection, so what should we do with it? Throw it away? Either the billions and billions pieces of equipment already in people's possessions are removed (which is also impossible to do), there will never be much security. From my view, if all older technology has no security measures installed, and all new technology does, this is what will happen:
1) The sales will drop on new equipment becuase it is crippled;
2) Piracy won't drop much becuase, in general, the people that do these "horrible acts" will be smart enough to stick to older technology that isn't restricted;
3) The government will waste lots and lots of tax dollars;
4) Broadband users will decline (without movies and music, fewer people would want the extra bandwidth);
5) Security measures will be broken fairly easily, removing the entire purpose.
Okay, i'm rambling now. I'll let you guys decide what you think.
In that link they also have a link to read the actual bill they are trying to pass. Rediculous...
Here's what I pulled out of it...Maybe I missed something, and if I did, please tell me.
Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act - Considering it will do the exact opposite...that's a pretty bad name for it.
This bill requires all electronic devices to have copy protection built into it to stop piracy, in order to "promote digital television and consumer broadband". His reasoning? Because so much material is being copied illegally (between 7 and 11 million Americans estimated use software on the Internet to illegally swap files, he says...but compared to the number of Americans who don't [the other 250 million], that sounds pretty good), consumers don't want to get broadband or HDTV's because of the lack of good content.
Here is his exact words: "But if more high-quality content were available, consumers might come." Note the word 'might' - In other words, he wants the government to spend millions and millions of dollars into a proposal that would worsen the economy and might not work at all. Sounds like a plan.
He thinks that transmitters and receivers can just encode signals so they cannot be taken illegally and copied. Doubtful...
Here's another quote: "Technological solutions can be developed to protect digital content on digital broadcast television and over the Internet." I've noticed personally over the years how all restrictions that have been placed on the Internet have failed. I don't think there is any feasible way to restrain file transfers over the Internet.
Lastly, I think there is one big killer to this whole scheme - None of the existing technology has copy protection, so what should we do with it? Throw it away? Either the billions and billions pieces of equipment already in people's possessions are removed (which is also impossible to do), there will never be much security. From my view, if all older technology has no security measures installed, and all new technology does, this is what will happen:
1) The sales will drop on new equipment becuase it is crippled;
2) Piracy won't drop much becuase, in general, the people that do these "horrible acts" will be smart enough to stick to older technology that isn't restricted;
3) The government will waste lots and lots of tax dollars;
4) Broadband users will decline (without movies and music, fewer people would want the extra bandwidth);
5) Security measures will be broken fairly easily, removing the entire purpose.
Okay, i'm rambling now. I'll let you guys decide what you think.
