The Progress and Freedom Foundation was kind enough to invite me to participate in a panel discussion on Capitol Hill concerning the implications of our victory in the broadcast-flag challenge. I’d expected to get into a debate with some of the other panelists who represented the pro-broadcast-flag contingent, but the news coverage of the event focused on a pair of exchanges between me and two content-industry lobbyists in the audience — Rick Lane of News Corporation (that is, Fox), and Alec French of NBC/Universal.

Rather than stressing the issue of whether consumers would be able to record TV programs under the broadcast-flag regime (to some extent they’d be able to, if they buy the right equipment), I concentrated instead on the nightmarish consumer-electronics compatibility problems that the scheme as approved by the FCC would cause.

Sarah Stirland of Technology Daily caught one of Rick’s more remarkable comments in response to my presentation: “Compatibility is not a goal.” I have to say, I think there are a few hundred million Americans who probably disagree with him.

The full text of Sarah’s story is available only to Tech Daily subscribers, but for blog entries based on Rick’s comment, see here, here, and here.

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