D Peter Maus wrote:

snip


And there are a spate of new laws that prohibit modifying the
hardware, the stream, or the output of a commercially provided device to
modify content.


snip

More importantly, there has been an attempt for some time, now, to
actually define skipping commercials as 'theft of service,' and make it
illegal.

For awhile in the late '70s and early '80s in some U.S. cities a homeowner
could be subject to an intrusive search of premises if a certain size Yagi
antenna pointed in certain directions was observed on his property; the
intent was to prosecute 'theft of service' of directed pay TV services.

Erosion of freedom of information is one of the most disheartening aspects
of living in this era; the music industries draconian prosecution of suspected
illegal Internet downloading is just the most visible consequence. The absence
of universally accessible library content as popularized by Al Gore's once
proposed "information superhighway" never happened due to IP restrictions
among other limitations (efforts like Wikipedia are not really serious
substitutes IMHO). Too bad Mr. Gore abandoned this cause for another one
more politically popular.

When will people realize that freedom of access to and unfettered rights to use
information is as important to quality of life and advancement of civilization
as the securing of physical and political freedom, and as worthy of sacrifice
to establish and secure?