<s>
A	O
broadcast	B-Device
flag	I-Device
is	O
a	O
bit	O
field	O
sent	O
in	O
the	O
data	O
stream	O
of	O
a	O
digital	B-Application
television	I-Application
program	O
that	O
indicates	O
whether	O
or	O
not	O
the	O
data	O
stream	O
can	O
be	O
recorded	O
,	O
or	O
if	O
there	O
are	O
any	O
restrictions	O
on	O
recorded	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Possible	O
restrictions	O
include	O
the	O
inability	O
to	O
save	O
an	O
unencrypted	O
digital	B-General_Concept
program	O
to	O
a	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
or	O
other	O
non-volatile	O
storage	O
,	O
inability	O
to	O
make	O
secondary	O
copies	O
of	O
recorded	O
content	O
(	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
share	O
or	O
archive	O
)	O
,	O
forceful	O
reduction	O
of	O
quality	O
when	O
recording	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
reducing	O
high-definition	B-Device
video	O
to	O
the	O
resolution	O
of	O
standard	B-Device
TVs	I-Device
)	O
,	O
and	O
inability	O
to	O
skip	O
over	O
commercials	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
new	O
television	O
receivers	B-Device
using	O
the	O
ATSC	B-Device
standard	I-Device
were	O
supposed	O
to	O
incorporate	O
this	O
functionality	O
by	O
July	O
1	O
,	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Officially	O
called	O
"	O
Digital	B-General_Concept
Broadcast	O
Television	O
Redistribution	O
Control	O
,	O
"	O
the	O
FCC	O
's	O
rule	O
is	O
in	O
47	O
CFR	O
73.9002(b )	O
and	O
the	O
following	O
sections	O
,	O
stating	O
in	O
part	O
:	O
"	O
No	O
party	O
shall	O
sell	O
or	O
distribute	O
in	O
interstate	O
commerce	O
a	O
Covered	O
Demodulator	B-Device
Product	O
that	O
does	O
not	O
comply	O
with	O
the	O
Demodulator	B-Device
Compliance	O
Requirements	O
and	O
Demodulator	B-Device
Robustness	O
Requirements.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
rule	O
's	O
Demodulator	B-Device
Compliance	O
Requirements	O
insists	O
that	O
all	O
HDTV	B-Device
demodulators	B-Device
must	O
"	O
listen	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
flag	O
(	O
or	O
assume	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
present	O
in	O
all	O
signals	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flagged	O
content	O
must	O
be	O
output	O
only	O
to	O
"	O
protected	O
outputs	O
"	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
DVI	B-Protocol
and	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
ports	O
with	O
HDCP	B-Protocol
encryption	O
)	O
,	O
or	O
in	O
degraded	O
form	O
through	O
analog	O
outputs	O
or	O
digital	B-General_Concept
outputs	O
with	O
visual	O
resolution	O
of	O
720x480	O
pixels	O
(	O
EDTV	O
)	O
or	O
less	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
broadcast	B-Device
flags	I-Device
could	O
be	O
activated	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
,	O
a	O
viewer	O
who	O
often	O
records	O
a	O
program	O
might	O
suddenly	O
find	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
possible	O
to	O
save	O
their	O
favorite	O
show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Demodulator	B-Device
Robustness	O
Requirements	O
are	O
difficult	O
to	O
implement	O
in	O
open	B-License
source	I-License
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devices	O
must	O
be	O
"	O
robust	O
"	O
against	O
user	O
access	O
or	O
modifications	O
so	O
that	O
someone	O
could	O
not	O
easily	O
alter	O
it	O
to	O
ignore	O
the	O
broadcast	B-Device
flags	I-Device
that	O
permit	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
full	O
digital	B-General_Concept
stream	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
open-source	B-License
device	B-Application
drivers	I-Application
are	O
by	O
design	O
user-modifiable	O
,	O
a	O
PC	O
TV	B-Device
tuner	I-Device
card	I-Device
with	O
open-source	B-License
drivers	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
"	O
robust	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
GNU	B-Application
Radio	I-Application
project	O
already	O
successfully	O
demonstrated	O
that	O
purely	O
software-based	O
demodulators	B-Device
can	O
exist	O
and	O
the	O
hardware	O
rule	O
is	O
not	O
fully	O
enforceable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
it	O
is	O
always	O
possible	O
that	O
the	O
Supreme	O
Court	O
could	O
overturn	O
this	O
ruling	O
,	O
the	O
more	O
likely	O
reemergence	O
of	O
the	O
broadcast	B-Device
flag	I-Device
is	O
in	O
legislation	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Congress	O
granting	O
such	O
authority	O
to	O
the	O
FCC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
1	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
Sen.	O
Ted	O
Stevens	O
inserted	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Broadcast	B-Device
Flag	I-Device
into	O
the	O
Communications	O
,	O
Consumer	O
's	O
Choice	O
,	O
and	O
Broadband	O
Deployment	O
Act	O
of	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
18	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
News.com	O
reported	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
confirmed	O
that	O
current	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Center	I-Device
shipping	O
with	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
family	O
of	O
operating	O
systems	O
adhered	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
broadcast	B-Device
flag	I-Device
,	O
following	O
reports	O
of	O
users	O
being	O
blocked	O
from	O
taping	O
specific	O
airings	O
of	O
NBC	O
programs	O
,	O
mainly	O
American	O
Gladiators	O
and	O
Medium	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Microsoft	O
spokesperson	O
said	O
that	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Center	I-Device
adheres	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
rules	O
set	O
forth	O
by	O
the	O
FCC.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
22	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
FCC	O
officially	O
eliminated	O
the	O
broadcast	B-Device
flag	I-Device
regulations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
coming	O
of	O
digital	B-General_Concept
radio	O
,	O
the	O
recording	O
industry	O
is	O
attempting	O
to	O
change	O
the	O
ground	O
rules	O
for	O
copyright	O
of	O
songs	O
played	O
on	O
radio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
broadcast	O
but	O
not	O
Internet	O
)	O
radio	O
stations	O
may	O
play	O
songs	O
freely	O
but	O
RIAA	O
wants	O
Congress	O
to	O
insert	O
a	O
radio	O
broadcast	B-Device
flag	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
26	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
Congress	O
held	O
a	O
hearing	O
over	O
the	O
radio	O
broadcast	B-Device
flag	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
present	O
no	O
equivalent	O
signal	O
is	O
typically	O
used	O
in	O
European	O
DVB	B-Application
transmissions	O
,	O
although	O
DVB-CPCM	B-Device
would	O
provide	O
such	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
signal	O
as	O
defined	O
by	O
DVB-SI	B-Application
,	O
usable	O
on	O
clear-to-air	O
television	O
broadcasts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ISDB	B-Protocol
broadcasts	O
are	O
protected	O
as	O
to	O
allow	O
the	O
broadcast	O
to	O
be	O
digitally	O
recorded	O
once	O
,	O
but	O
to	O
not	O
allow	O
digital	B-General_Concept
copies	O
of	O
the	O
recording	O
to	O
be	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Digital	B-Application
Video	I-Application
Broadcasting	I-Application
organization	O
is	O
developing	O
DVB-CPCM	B-Device
which	O
allows	O
broadcasters	O
(	O
especially	O
PayTV	O
broadcaster	O
)	O
far	O
more	O
control	O
over	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
content	O
on	O
(	O
and	O
beyond	O
)	O
home	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DVB	B-Application
standards	I-Application
are	O
commonly	O
used	O
in	O
Europe	O
and	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
(	O
for	O
satellite	O
,	O
terrestrial	O
,	O
and	O
cable	O
distribution	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
are	O
also	O
employed	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
by	O
Dish	O
Network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Europe	O
,	O
some	O
entertainment	O
companies	O
were	O
lobbying	O
to	O
legally	O
mandate	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
DVB-CPCM	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Opponents	O
fear	O
that	O
mandating	O
DVB-CPCM	B-Device
will	O
kill	O
independent	O
receiver	O
manufacturers	O
that	O
use	O
open	B-License
source	I-License
operating	O
systems	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
Linux-based	O
set-top	O
boxes	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
US	O
,	O
since	O
April	O
15	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
pay-per-view	O
movies	O
on	O
cable	O
and	O
satellite	O
television	O
now	O
are	O
flagged	O
to	O
prevent	O
a	O
recording	O
off	O
a	O
pay-per-view	O
channel	O
to	O
a	O
digital	B-Application
video	I-Application
recorders	I-Application
or	O
other	O
related	O
devices	O
from	O
being	O
retained	O
after	O
24	O
hours	O
from	O
the	O
ordered	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
film	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
the	O
standard	O
film	O
industry	O
practice	O
,	O
including	O
for	O
digital	B-General_Concept
rentals	O
from	O
the	O
iTunes	O
Store	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Movies	O
recorded	O
before	O
that	O
point	O
would	O
still	O
be	O
available	O
without	O
flagging	O
and	O
could	O
be	O
copied	O
freely	O
,	O
though	O
as	O
of	O
2015	O
those	O
pre-2008	O
DVR	O
units	O
are	O
well	O
out-of-date	O
or	O
probably	O
non-functional	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
pay-per-view	O
concern	O
is	O
moot	O
for	O
all	O
but	O
special	O
events	O
,	O
as	O
nearly	O
all	O
satellite	O
providers	O
and	O
cable	O
providers	O
have	O
moved	O
to	O
more	O
easily	O
restricted	O
video	B-Application
on	I-Application
demand	I-Application
platforms	O
;	O
pay-per-view	O
films	O
have	O
been	O
drawn	O
down	O
to	O
non-notable	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
