Well it seems that the American FCC has decided to suck up to the money men and women of Hollywood instead of adopting the highly popular "Broadcast Flag" standard that supports innovation, fair use and competition with their recent ruling over HDTV. Claiming that it is an "anti-piracy mechanism," the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today mandated that consumer devices capable of receiving broadcast digital television (DTV) signals must implement content control technologies demanded by the entertainment industry. The "broadcast flag" mandate will go into effect by July 1, 2005. "The FCC today has taken a step that will shape the future of television," said EFF Senior Intellectual Property Attorney Fred von Lohmann. "Sadly, this represents a step in the wrong direction, a step that will undermine innovation, fair use, and competition." "The broadcast flag rule forces manufacturers to remove useful recording features from television products you can buy today," said EFF Staff Technologist Seth Schoen. "The FCC has decided that the way to get Americans to adopt digital TV is to make it cost more and do less."