[dvd-discuss] OT: Super-DMCA bills (in Massachusetts)

[Ravi Nanavati <ravi_n(at)alum.mit.edu>]

I apologize for the off-topic posting, but I know that there are a 
number of Massachusetts locals who read this list and I think many of 
you will be interested in this.

If you've been reading Slashdot or Edward Felten's Freedom to Tinker 
recently, you should have heard about the Super-DMCA bills that are 
working their way through state legislatures right now. They are 
described updates to theft of cable and/or wireless service laws for the 
broadband era. In fact, these laws are much, much broader. One of these 
bills is being discussed in a public hearing at 10:00am on April 2nd in 
the Massachusetts State House and I'd like to encourage every member of 
the list who can to come to the hearing and testify in opposition to the 
bill.

One of the most disturbing provisions of these bills bans technologies 
that conceal the origin or destination of any communication from a 
communication service provider - that includes encrypted email, VPNs, 
NAT...

Other provisions ban the manufacture or assembly of unlawful 
communication devices (including reprogramming existing communication 
devices - like computers) - which, of course, would ban whole ranges of 
legitimate security research.

For more information, I suggest Freedom to Tinker's posts about these bills:
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/archives/cat_superdmca.html

As I said, the reason I am writing to the list is that there is a public 
hearing about one of these bills in Massachusetts tomorrow (April 2nd) 
at 10:00am. Any member of the public is allowed to attend this hearing, 
observe *and* testify. I am going to attend and testify in opposition 
and if there are any members of the list that are free to do so on short 
notice I'd appreciate if you could as well.

For more information about the hearing (it is in Room 222 of the 
Massachusetts State House at 10:00am) see:
http://www.state.ma.us/legis/comm/dlapr02.htm and
http://www.state.ma.us/legis/history/h02743.htm
for the current status of the bill.

For the text of the bill under consideration see:
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/doc/2003/ma_1apr.pdf

Unfortunately, there are a number of other bills under consideration and 
I was told that these hearings can be unpredicatable, but I think if you 
can spare the time it is worth it to try to keep computer and network 
security legal in Massachusetts.

Thank you for your attention.

  - Ravi Nanavati

P.S. If you're not a Massachusetts resident, I'd recommend checking 
Edward Felten's Super-DMCA status page to find out what the situation is 
in your state:
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/superdmca.html

If your state isn't listed on that page, I'd recommend spending some 
time at your legistlature's website to determine if a Super-DMCA bill is 
under consideration or (depressingly) has already been passed.