CEA Responds To Court Ruling On Broadcast Flag: Decision Will Have No Impact On DTV Transition

9-May-05

The following statement was issued by Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) President and CEO Gary Shapiro regarding the ruling by a U.S. Court of Appeals finding that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had no jurisdiction to promulgate the so-called broadcast flag regulations: ""The broadcast flag was designed to protect over-the-air television broadcast content from mass, anonymous redistribution over the Internet. Courts are right to be wary when government institutions seek to regulate the specific features and functions of safe, useful consumer technology. We look forward to studying the Court's ruling in greater detail with a focus on continuing efforts to preserve the freedom to innovate while protecting the interests of patent and copyright owners.""This ruling will have no impact on the nation's successful, ongoing transition to digital television (DTV). Indeed, policy makers should continue to focus on the key issues that will help accelerate and ensure a consumer-friendly approach to the transition, specifically setting a hard date for ending analog television signals.""

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