The FCC. GAH!

Feelin' like a disgruntled mailman here boss FCC hands Hollywood the keys to your PC, home theater and future

“ The FCC has given Hollywood permission to activate the "Selective Output Control" technologies in your set-top box. These are hidden flags that allow the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America)  to deactivate parts of your home theater depending on what you're watching. And it sucks. As Dan Gillmor notes, "Fans of old TV science fiction will remember the Outer Limits. Given Hollywood's victory today at the FCC -- they'll be able to reach over the lines and disable functions on your TV -- the intro to the show takes on modern relevance." The FCC says that they're doing this because they believe that if they do so, the MPAA will start releasing first-run movies (the ones that are still in theaters) for TV. They say that Hollywood won't make these movies available unless they get Selectable Output Control because SOC will stop piracy. This is ridiculous.  ”  Continue reading Boing-Boing's  takedown of the MPAA's lickspittle FCC. Here's the MPAA's "no, really, it's just a shower, and the soap is free" statement. “ “This action is an important victory for consumers who will now have far greater access to see recent high-definition movies in their homes,” Bob Pisano, president and interim chief executive officer of the MPAA, said today in a statement. ” As an aside, having nothing to do with anything in particular, what the heck happened to the neutron bomb?  Remember?  The N-bomb that could clear the streets of vermin without damaging real property? It just popped into my head. Rick B