Q  What about the HDTV broadcast flag? Initially the FCC required a copy protection flag for all terrestrially broadcast high-definition content. The Court of Appeals overturned that ruling. That’s a very big topic of conversation between my editors and me.
 
A  That’s not going to go away. We think it’s really important. The Court of Appeals didn’t appeal the regulation based on the fact that the broadcast flag made no sense or that it would hurt consumers. The only reason for the appeal is that they said the FCC doesn’t have jurisdiction to mandate copy protection. We’re going to address that because we think it’s important in terms of facilitating the DTV transition that free-to-air broadcasting remains a viable way to digitally deliver content. It is the only digital delivery system that today has no means of encrypting from the source, like cable and satellite, and we want to keep free-to-air TV as a viable system, carrying high-value content, drama, and movies, and not watch it devolve into game shows and reality TV that has no redistribution value. That’s why it’s a really important initiative.

Conclusion: As with every story, this one has two sides and the truth lies somewhere in the middle—somewhere between the warnings of the EFF and the reassurances of the MPAA. Hunt repeatedly stresses that these security measures are optional, but do you really trust the movie studios to keep your best interest in mind? Yet, he seems to understand the potential loss of revenue if consumers view the copy protection as too stringent. It’s going to be interesting to see how this issue affects the success or failure of future HD formats.