The EFF already defeated the Broadcast Flag once, but it's one of those things that Hollywood is not going to let go of.  I noticed on Dave's site that DRM support was added to TiVO last year. This DRM allows content owners to specify how and whether TiVO users can record a flagged show: they either can't record, can keep it for seven days, or - as the case with this obscure, 40-year-old movie - can keep for 7 days but only have 24 hours to watch once they start.

This is one isolated incident, and we can definitely look elsewhere for our DVR needs. (My DVR provided by Time Warner doesn't have DRM restrictions, nor does a Media Center PC). The danger of the Broadcast flag, though, is that it mandates these restrictions, giving the content providers complete control over how we can consume their content.  I am not suggesting that we ignore the rights of the copyright holder, but we also can't ignore the rights of the consumer.

Copyright is, of course, not an absolute right and there are necessary exceptions to protect the public. Private copying for the purpose of time-shifting content is a prime example of such an exception as decided in Betamax. This flag amounts to the content owner stripping away this fundamental exception to copyright exclusive rights. 

Why should you be restricted from recording and watching a television show simply because you're on vacation and can't watch it within 7 days?

If you haven't already, I strongly encourage you all to take action against the Broadcast Flag.