Communications Daily had a story in today’s (subscriber-only) edition about the top technology priorities for Congress as they return from recess. 4 of the top 5 priorities are all about expanding government intervention into the technology, Internet or media sectors:
SHVIA (Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act) reauthorization: Re-imposes compulsory licenses (read: forced contracts and price controls) on broadcast programming redistributed over satellite networks.
Indecency regulation: As the name implies, we’ll be getting a bill with increased fines / penalties for “indecent” broadcasts on radio or television. (The Senate version of the pending bill also has a section censoring “excessive violence” on television.)
VoIP bills: Although early drafts of VoIP legislation looked good, a Senate mark-up of a bill sponsored by Sen. Sununu this summer ended in disaster when pro-regulatory forces included language largely gutting the bill by opening the door to state and local regulation.
Copyright revisions / INDUCE Act: There’s apparently going to be a serious push to get the INDUCE Act through before the session expires. The bill would impose liability on technology providers if their service or products “induced” copyright infringement.
So, by my count, it’s Freedom 0, Regulation 4.
As I always ask: What ever happened to “Hands Off the Net“?
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.