[Ecommerce] Broadcast flag for radio? FCC Hearing tomorrow A pril 15

Wed Apr 14 14:18:01 2004

Manon and list, see my story below

>From National Journal's Technology Daily | Friday, April 9

Intellectual Property
Groups Rally Against Potential FCC Rules On Digital Radio
by Drew Clark

     The FCC will consider new regulations for digital radio broadcasts at
its April 15 meeting, the agency announced Thursday. But it will not sugges=
t
anti-copying rules, an FCC source said.
     Public-interest groups raised alarm on Wednesday over reports that the
FCC would consider proposals to require an anti-piracy technology for
digital radio styled after the "broadcast flag," a mandate imposed on
digital television manufacturers in November.
     The regulations to be discussed April 15 will include two paragraphs
asking questions about consumers' ability to copy and store songs broadcast
over digital radio, the FCC source said. But they are only questions, and
they are part of a broader set of rules governing digital transmissions.
     The music industry is concerned that the increased quality of digital
radio, also called high-definition or HD radio, might lead consumers to cop=
y
and store songs they receive over the air. They aired their concerns Jan. 3=
0
at an FCC meeting headed by Media Bureau Chief Ken Ferree.
     At the meeting, Ferree said he was unconvinced that the threat outline=
d
by the recording industry warrants halting or modifying the timetable for
deploying HD radio. The agency authorized test HD transmissions in October,
and in January JVC, Kenwood, Onkyo, Panasonic and Visteon announced the
first commercial HD radio receivers.
     "We are grateful that the FCC is raising this issue for consideration,=
"
said Mitch Bainwol, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America.
"We are concerned that the transmission standard being considered by the FC=
C
does not protect the music even though safeguards could easily be
implemented."
     Unlike subscription-based satellite radio, HD radio is being used by
existing AM and FM broadcasters and would be free to consumers with digital
receivers. The technology is provided to broadcasters and electronics
companies by iBiquity, which has objected to an anti-piracy technology
modeled after the broadcast flag.
     The recording industry's fear is that the increasing availability of H=
D
radio will lead electronics companies to build radio tuners into computers.
Industry believes that could let consumers program their computer-radios to
digitally seek songs and thus open another door for piracy.
     Officials at Public Knowledge and Consumers Union said they remain
concerned about any reference to copy protection within any HD radio
regulation "Even if it is just two paragraphs, it is in [a regulation],
which is not appropriate for this phase of the investigation,"
Communications Director Art Brodsky said.
     "Inadequate groundwork has been laid for [a regulation] relating to
content protection for digital audio radio -- far less groundwork even than
was done in the run-up to the broadcast flag regulation for digital
television," officials at Public Knowledge and Consumers Union wrote in a
Wednesday letter to FCC Chairman Michael Powell.
     "There is literally no evidence at all associating digital radio
broadcasting with peer-to-peer file sharing of music or other content," the
officials wrote.
     Al Shuldiner, the general counsel for iBiquity, said he believes the
bulk of the regulation will address transmission rules governing nighttime
broadcasts of HD radio and address a recent request by National Public Radi=
o
to use the technology to transmit an additional audio channel.
     Currently, 100 stations are using the technology in 36 markets, and a
total of 300 stations in 80 markets have licensed iBiquity's technology to
begin broadcasting digitally.

Drew Clark
Senior Writer, National Journal's Technology Daily

National Journal's Technology Daily home:
http://nationaljournal.com/pubs/techdaily
Information about National Journal's Technology Daily:
http://www.technologydaily.com

tel 202-261-0357
fax 202-261-0361
cell 202-329-9517
e-mail dclark@nationaljournal.com
or       drew@drewclark.com

1501 M Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005

-----Original Message-----
From: Manon Ress [mailto:manon.ress@cptech.org]
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 1:41 PM
To: ecommerce
Subject: [Ecommerce] Broadcast flag for radio? FCC Hearing tomorrow
April 15

I heard there could be a vote tomorrow at the FCC re extension of
broadcast flag to radio. Is that true? Anyone knows who will be speaking?
Manon

April 8, 2004

FCC TO HOLD OPEN COMMISSION MEETING

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2004

The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on the
subjects listed below on Thursday, April 15, 2004, which is scheduled to
commence at 9:30 a.m. in Room TW-C305, at 445 12th Street, S. W.,
Washington, D.C.

*_ITEM NO._*

*_BUREAU_*

*_SUBJECT_*

*1*

*OFFICE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY*

*TITLE: *Review of Part 15 and other Parts of the Commission=92s Rules (ET
Docket No. 01-278; RM-9375, and RM-10051).

*SUMMARY: *The Commission will consider a Third Report and Order
concerning rule changes for radio frequency identification systems
operating at 433 MHz.

*2*

*MEDIA*

*TITLE: *Digital Audio Broadcasting Systems and Their Impact on the
Terrestrial Radio Broadcast Service (MM Docket No. 99-325).

*SUMMARY: *The Commission will consider a Further Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking concerning rule changes for radio stations that broadcast
digital audio using In-Band On-Channel (=93IBOC=94) technology.

Additional information concerning this meeting may be obtained from
Audrey Spivack or David Fiske, Office of Media Relations, (202)
418-0500; TTY 1-888-835-5322. Audio/Video coverage of the meeting will
be broadcast live over the Internet from the FCC's Audio/Video Events
web page at www.fcc.gov/realaudio <http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio>.

More on public interest reaction at Public Knowledge:
http://www.publicknowledge.org/content/press-releases/press-release-2004-4-=
7

--
Manon Anne Ress
Consumer Project on Technology
www.cptech.org
PO Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
manon.ress@cptech.org, voice: 1.202.387.8030, fax: 1.202.234.5176

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