Given growing frustration in Congress over digital rights managem...

Given growing frustration in Congress over digital rights management (DRM) issues, “possibility of legislation in the future” is “very real” if private sector doesn’t agree on standards, said Philip Bond, undersecy. of commerce-technology, on eve of Commerce Dept. Technology Administration (TA) roundtable on digital content and rights management Wed. Session was to assess progress in earlier discussions among music and movie industries, CE and information technology (IT) industries and consumer groups on topics including DRM, broadcast flag, analog hole and other issues, Bond said at late Tues. news briefing. It’s “terrifically important for us to keep some focus here,” he said, and for various industries to know that executive and legislative branches of govt. are watching for progress. Bond said that although Administration believed private, voluntary standards were “most beneficial,” it was clear that “legislative bodies will respond at some point to high-level frustration” if such standards weren’t forthcoming. Asked for his response to parties that contended there was no need for DRM legislation given amount of content available online without technological protocols, Bond likened situation to broadband deployment. Frustrations in each area is same, he said, in that there’s been some -- but not enough -- progress. “We're not satisfied with the pace” in either area, he said. There are so many voices wanting to be heard in DRM debate that TA has set up Web site for comments, said Bruce Mehlman, asst. secy.-technology policy. As for rumblings (CED July 16 p3) that some in tech community believed TA discussion panels were tilted toward content owners, Mehlman said he had yet to hear any “discouraging word from anyone in the IT space” about TA’s efforts to help form DRM standards. He said agency was taking very measured approach to issue but, as with any hot issue, “you can’t please everybody.”