OPINION: VOD in demand
By Paul Sweeting -- Video Business, 6/27/2008
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The extension, requested by the National Assn. of Theatre Owners to allow more time to study the issue, scuttled studio hopes for an expedited ruling by the FCC and lowered the odds that a waiver to the rules restricting the use of selectable output controls on set-top boxes will be forthcoming this year.
The studios say the waiver is necessary to block unencrypted analog recordings of high-value, early-release content from being uploaded to the Internet without copy protection.
Worse for the studios, the FCC indicated in granting the extension that it wanted to develop a full record in the case.
“Given the importance of the issues in this proceeding and in the interest of encouraging public dialog regarding these issues … we believe that grant of NATO’s request is necessary to facilitate the development of a full record,” the agency said in a public notice on the extension.
That’s agency-speak for, “we realize any decision we make will be challenged in court, so we want to make sure we do it by the book.”
Court challenges could drag on for months, if not longer.
Read the full column at ContentAgenda.com.
