Here's a primer on the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act (S.2048)

What Hollings' Bill Would Do

The joint initiative with Mexico seeks to develop a "biometric" ID system--using such identifying characteristics as fingerprints or retina scans--for frequent travelers from both countries that would let them use commuter lanes at high-volume border crossings.

Bush Touts 'Smart' Border for the U.S. and Mexico

"A bill was introduced Thursday in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Ernest Hollings and five other senators that would redesign all computers so that one of the two basic things they do is controlled by Congress. This is reminiscent of the state legislature that decided that pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, should simply be three, instead of the endlessly fascinating irrational number that it actually is. "

Yeah, thats about right...

Hazards of the DMCA - Tech News - CNET.com

"In addition, the legislation specifies that no copy protection technology may prevent consumers from "making a personal copy for lawful use in the home" of non pay-per-view television programming. "

This is just dumb....

Hollings formally introduces SSSCA

"The president proposes that leaders lose any bonuses or other compensation based on incentives if they are found to be profiting from "erroneous financial statements," the White House fact sheet says."

He didn't say fraudulent. He said erroneous. I think this is much more significant then it sounds. I don't really disagree with it, however.

Bush to put CEOs on notice after Enron collapse - Mar. 7, 2002

"Music CDs equipped with copy protection will, if Rick Boucher gets his wish, soon be as obsolete as eight-track cassettes."

So if we know Hollywood is paying Hollings to play bad cop, who is paying Boucher to play good cop? The press, of course, never mentions funding sources when they agree with the position someone is taking.

House Rep's Rap: Unshackle the CD

This is a reasonable article on the SSSCA hearing. A few thoughts not seen here. First, the Republican representatives who've raised their voices in opposition to this have also referenced the V-Chip. Its a subtle nod that says "we CAN do something like this" even though the representatives in question don't think that it SHOULD be done. This nod is not just subtle, its also grossly inaccurate. The v-chip is technically feasable idea that customers "opt-in" to using. The SSSCA is not technically feasable and its not voluntary. There is a huge difference between forcing the hand of manufacturers and forcing the hand of consumers or indeed the laws of physics. Congress forgets the limits of its power at its own peril.

However, the mess that this is already creating is an opportunity for the right people. The traditional music industry's failure to "get" music videos led to the popularity of European pop acts like Devo in the USA in the early 80's despite the fact that these acts were not a close fit for the marketplace. I think you might see something similar here, as avantguard acts take advantage of the new scene where the traditional industry falters. Radiohead's releases last year are good examples.

The Customer Is Always Wrong

The SSSCA is back. If this law passes you will not be allowed to run Linux anymore. This is one of those things, like the CDA, which is a turning point. If this effort succeeds then the Internet simply won't work as a medium for many to many communications.

Digital Security Fomenting a Feud

"These pages will help you understand the protections intellectual property laws and the First Amendment give to your online activities. We are excited about the new opportunities the Internet offers individuals to express their views, parody politicians, celebrate their favorite movie stars, or criticize businesses. But we've noticed that not everyone feels the same. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some individuals and corporations are using intellectual property and other laws to silence online users. Certainly intellectual property rights should be respected -- and we hope this site will aid you in doing so -- but they shouldn't be misused to impede legitimate activity"

Chilling Effects Clearinghouse

"The Federal Communications Commission in a controversial decision on Thursday approved the commercial use of "ultrawideband" technology. "

Fed approves new wireless technology - Tech News - CNET.com