Public-Interest Groups: Deny MPAA HD DVR Waiver

Back on June 6, the Motion Picture Association of America filed a formal request with the Federal Communications Commission for a waiver of rules governing the "selectable output controls" of set-top boxes so that they can selectively prevent the digital copying of HD versions of films they want to distribute via multichannel-video providers before their DVD releases. Now Public Knowledge and six other public-interest groups have asked the FCC to deny the studios' request, saying the waiver has little to do with the DTV transition and, in any event, would be costly to consumers and, if anything, hurt the transition.