Twenty suicidal congresscritters are calling for the speedy adoption of a broadcast flag, trying to unmake the work that the courts did this past May when they killed the initiative. The broadcast flag says that all digital TV technology has to be approved by Hollywood's bought-and-paid-for regulators, and the rubric for it is that if we don't give Hollywood this unprecedented veto, they'll stop making stuff available for digital TV. Note that no one in Hollywood has ever promised that they will produce DTV high-def content if they get this dumb rule — this isn't even very convincing blackmail.
Is your congressjerk on the list below? Give her or him a call, and let it be known that elected lawmakers who break their constituents' televisions don't get re-elected.
Find out if your rep is on the list here.
John Shadegg, R-AZ, (202) 225-3361
Mary Bono, R-CA, (202) 225-5330
George Radanovich, R-CA, (202)
225-4540
John Shimkus, R-IL (202) 225-5271
Bobby Rush, D-IL, (202) 225-4372
Ed Whitfield, R-KY, (202) 225-3115
Albert Wynn, D-MD, (202) 225-8699
Charles Pickering, R-MS, (202) 225-5031
Lee Terry, R-NE, (202) 225-4155
Charles Bass, R-NH, (202) 225-5206
Mike Ferguson, R-NJ, (202) 225-5361
Frank Pallone, D-NJ, (202) 225-4671
Eliot Engel, D-NY, (202) 225-2464
Vito Fossella, R-NY, (202) 225-3371
Edolphus Towns, D-NY, (202) 225-5936
John Sullivan, R-OK, (202) 225-2211
Michael Doyle, D-PA, (202) 225-2135
Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, (202) 225-2811
Bart Gordon, D-TN, (202) 225-4231
Charles Gonzalez, D-TX, (202) 225-3236
I know, I know. We keep killing this thing, and it keeps on coming back. But the important thing is that we keep killing it. Us. They put tens of millions of bucks into this bid to make technology subservient to the superstitious fantasies of venal film execs, and we killed it by sending thousands and thousands and thousands of letters, calls, and faxes to DC. We made it happen. We'll make it happen again. They're not going to win this one, EVER.
(via Copyfight)
Update: Several readers have written in to make this list more complete and accurate — now it's got phone numbers and URLs for each of the lawmakers who are selling us out to the entertainment cartel. Thanks to Raul, AFD, Jef-E, John, and Nym!
Update 2: Thanks to Danny O'Brien for supplying callto: URLs for people who use SkypeOut or compatible phones.
