The office of Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., has circulated a draft bill in advance of Tuesday’s hearing on the broadcast flag issue that calls for the establishment of a federal advisory commission on digital radio. One of the main purposes of the group would be to develop and submit a proposal on so-called “secure moving technology,” to prevent copy-righted content stored on terrestrial and satellite digital radios from being re-distributed for free. Members would come from the IT, CE, radio, satellite radio and cable industries. The audio recording industry, music publishing, performing rights organizations and public interest organizations would be represented as well.
The group would have 12 to 18 months to develop a solution; if not, the FCC would step in.
The proposal is expected to be discussed at a Senate Commerce hearing Tuesday on the broadcast flag issue. Scheduled witnesses are: Mitch Bainwol, Chairman/CEO, Recording Industry Association of America; Gary Shapiro, President/CEO, Consumer Electronics Association and Dan Halyburton, SVP/GM, Group Operations, Susquehanna Radio.
Also slated to testify are: Andy Setos, President of Engineering, Fox Entertainment Group; Jonathan Band, Counsel, American Library Association; Thomas Patton, CVP, Government Relations, Philips Electronics North America Corporation and Leslie Harris, Executive Director, Center for Democracy and Technology.
Industry Group Could Decide Digital Rights Technical Solution Under Draft Bill
Industry Group Could Decide Digital Rights Technical Solution Under Draft Bill
