Public Knowledge Response to Motion Picture Association Set-Top Box Filing

The Motion Picture Association of America submitted yet another filing with the Federal Communications Commission defending its waiver request to control consumer set-top boxes and television sets. Public Knowledge responded saying: "We are very disappointed at the latest attempt from the Motion Picture Association of America to attempt to justify breaking consumer electronics used by consumers. We are pleased that industry representatives are such diligent viewers of Harold Feld's videos on the Public Knowledge site (or wherever else they may appear), but disappointed that the industry filing chose to take on such a personal tone while disputing the definition of a single word, 'breaking,' as in the 'breaking' of TV sets, while evading the larger issues before them. We use the word, 'breaking,' deliberately, here and in previous filings and videos, because that is exactly what would happen if the industry has its way and the FCC grants the ill-conceived waiver to allow the industry control over consumer devices. Because of existing FCC rules, a consumer with a stand alone digital video recorder (DVR) or Slingbox knows that it will work for all video-on-demand (VoD) services, and that compatibility is a key factor when consumers spend their hard-earned money on consumer electronics. It would be a rude shock if, at the industry whim, some of those devices did not perform as expected.