A new bill has been introduced into the Senate, the “Platform Equality and Remedies for Rights Holders in Music Act” (PERFORM).  Senator Alexander is one of its sponsors.  This bill would force satellite, digital, and Internet radio providers (but not over-the-air radio) to implement measures designed to restrict the ability of listeners to record audio from the services.

Basically, this Bill was written by the RIAA.  And, I am very disappointed that Senator Alexander is sponsoring this legislation.  Michael Pettricone, of the Consumer Electronics Association, said of the bill:

The Consumer Electronics Association was quick to voice opposition to the PERFORM Act. “We are disappointed that this legislation, which faced vocal bipartisan opposition last year, has been reintroduced just as consumers are about to enjoy incredible innovation from new content devices launched at the 2007 International CES this week,” Michael Pettricone, the CEA’s senior vice president of government affairs, told Ars in a statement. “This bill has absolutely nothing to do with piracy, the Internet, or peer to peer redistribution. Instead, it would assault the freedom of consumers to use content they have lawfully acquired for private and noncommercial purposes in the privacy of their homes and vehicles. We will continue our effort to inform lawmakers of the dangers of this legislation to our digital economy and to long established principles of fair use.”

Under current law, a consumer can use such content for non-commercial purposes.  What this bill actually accomplishes is not as important to me as the symbol of what is happening here … infringing on the freedoms of consumers and media that is not in need of further restrictions and policing by Congress.  I must say that it disappoints me that any Republican would support this legislation – especially Senator Alexander.  I wish that Congress would finally start thinking about consumers and the impact of their socialistic restrictions on technology – rather than simply supporting bills that are clearly written by the RIAA and ONLY meet the needs of the recording industry (at the expense of everyone else).