More On C-SPAN's Changes
The Cable Satellite Public Affairs Network's recent loosening of its copyright policy for "any official events sponsored by Congress and any federal agency" was met with cheers from those in the Internet community.
Web watchdog Carl Malamud, who has routinely questioned C-SPAN's intellectual property protections, said the cable industry-financed nonprofit did "a wonderful thing" and "way more than they had to do." A week earlier, he wrote to C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb offering to buy the network's entire collection of congressional hearing videos for the purpose of posting them for public use online.
Malamud said video-related problems remain with Congress. The legislative branch needs to "meet C-SPAN's gift by committing to providing broadcast-quality video from every congressional hearing for download on the Internet," he said. "Anything less just doesn't cut it."
Current webcasting on Capitol Hill is "uniformly awful," Malamud said. He said Democrats and Republicans alike appear to be trying to spin the issue for political advantage. "This is about the public record, not petty partisan bickering."
For the latest news on C-SPAN's digital video plans, read Technology Daily's PM edition.
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