Last year, the Federal Communications Commission issued a rule requiring new technology to recognize something called the "broadcast flag" in order to limit the mass, indiscriminate redistribution on digital television program on the Internet. The rule was not implemented because the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit held that the FCC did not have proper authority to issue it.

The Motion Picture Association of America has asked Congress to adopt legislation that ostensibly would ratify the FCC’s broadcast flag rule. But--unlike the FCC rule--the proposed legislation could be read to authorize the FCC to preclude consumers from transferring lawfully acquired broadcast content from one room to another over a digital network installed in their homes.

We are encouraging our members and allies to oppose this overly broad proposed legislation. It has not been introduced yet in the form of a bill, but was the subject of hearings in the House. Follow these links to learn more: