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April 05, 2005
PBS - The Non-Public Gatekeeping Service
Posted by Ernest Miller
The Washington Post reports that Comcast and PBS will be rolling out a new, free video-on-demand service for some children shows (Comcast, PBS Plan New Service)
Called "PBS Kids Sprout," the service's shows will feature public broadcasting kid-favorites Bob the Builder, the Teletubbies, Elmo and so on, for no extra charge on Comcast digital-cable systems with video-on-demand (VOD) service.
Comcast subscribers can watch those programs in any order and at any time by selecting them from an on-screen menu with their cable box's remote control. Comcast will also offer "Sprout" as a conventional channel in the fall.
Oh, joy, PBS is going to encourage the growth of cable company as gatekeeper. When it comes to telecommunication policy, the so-called Public Broadcasting Service has long ago lost any semblance of public purpose.
This version of video-on-demand is essentially TiVo, except that the cable company completely controls it. This is "public"?
Why not broadcatch the darn shows instead, PBS?
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Ernest Miller pursues research and writing on cyberlaw, intellectual property, and First Amendment issues. Mr. Miller attended the U.S. Naval Academy before attending Yale Law School, where he was president and co-founder of the Law and Technology Society, and founded the technology law and policy news site LawMeme. He is a fellow of the Information Society Project at Yale Law School.
Ernest Miller's blog postings can also be found @
