Recording Rights Fights DTV

After taking on the federal government concerning recording rights for nearly two decades, the Home Recording Rights Coalition (HRRC) is set to do battle again in the DTV arena. The fight here is over the encryption of DTV signals and the ability of consumers to record both audio and video through those secure interfaces.The HRRC began its quest for recording in 1981 to resist a government ban on Betamax sales to consumers. The government, bending to industry influence, thought consumers shouldnít be allowed to ape television programs. The HRRC fought it and won the war when such a ban was ruled unconstitutional.The conflict continued with audio as the focus in 1989. It was then that the U.S. Governmentís Office of Technology Assessment issued its audio taping report. Responding to that report, the HRRC pushed to have the Home Recording Act passed which it did successfully when Congress signed it into law in 1992.Now, it has come full circle as the coalition recently addressed an FCC roundtable urging policy makers to not let their fervor for encryption affect not only recording but actual viewing of programs over DTV sets. According to a statement given by the coalitionís Executive Director, Ruth Rodgers, the race toward encryption is ignoring the requirement, by law, of DTV top be implemented in a way ""that preserves the reasonable and customary practices of consumers,"" which includes recording.In other words, the HRRC was serving notice that it was not about to give up territory already won in previous skirmishes. Expect this conflict to heat up.Source: Pro Sound News